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Dave Kiehl got two weeks into architecture classes before he nearly died of boredom. He didn’t hate architecture; he just loved skating.
“At that point in my life, all I really cared about was skateboarding and making skate videos,” he says.
Having ruled out a career in designing buildings, Kiehl enrolled in UW-Milwaukee’s elite experimental film program.
Photo By: Nick Sommer
"As I went through the program, I was drawn more and more to animation,” he says. “That’s when I started to explore and teach myself different animation software. I quickly discovered how easily my ideas could become something so much more unique and true to who I am as an artist."
After graduating in 2006, he worked as a production assistant on film sets. Then, when the paid animation gigs started rolling in, Kiehl went freelance. That led him to the Bayshore project, for which Kiehl crafts all of the stunning LED visuals.
“My focus for the Bayshore work was to tell a story that was both engaging and imaginative,” he says. “The biggest challenge was starting with a blank slate, where I had all of the creative control, while also creating rules for the world I was creating.”
Dave's Bayshore animation reel
Kiehl thought long and hard about the tone he wanted to capture, and how his animations could complement the work of the other Bayshore artists. Ultimately, he decided on a theme of “wonder,” something he knows all visitors will feel as they take in the art of Bayshore.
“I really try to bring my imagination back to when I was a kid,” he says, “capturing a sense of wonder in my creativity. I want to spark that curiosity in the viewer, and get them thinking about what’s possible.”
A little holiday sneak peek, courtesy of Dave Kiehl
For more information about Dave Kiehl visit his website or follow @davekiehl