Howard Berdach’s digital collage “Forest Spirit” stands as a vivid bridge between historical memory and the life force of the natural world. Rooted in both cultural remembrance and a modern visual language, the work captures a striking duality: the quiet strength of a Native American figure and the energetic pulse of the forest, brought to life through saturated color and digital transformation.
At the heart of “Forest Spirit” lies the partially restored portrait of Kills First, a Lakota Indian who was a member of Wild Bill Cody’s Travelling Indian Show. The original photograph was taken in 1898 by Gertrude Käsebier, one of the first prominent American women photographers, whose compassionate lens captured Native Americans with uncommon dignity. In choosing this historical portrait, Berdach both honors the legacy of Kills First and re-contextualizes him in a vibrant, living visual environment.
The infusion of high color and layered forest elements does not obscure the original figure; rather, it breathes a new vitality. “In this collage,” Berdach says, “I hoped to breathe the vital life energy of the forest into the image.” The result is an arresting image that radiates with symbolic power, evoking both remembrance and renewal.
A Journey of Six Decades Behind the Lens and Screen
Howard Berdach’s creative journey spans over 60 years. His early explorations began with 35mm still photography in the New York City metropolitan area, where he sharpened his eye for composition and light. The discipline and immediacy of film photography gave him a strong technical foundation and a deep understanding of visual storytelling.
In the mid-1970s, Berdach relocated to California, where he enrolled at San Francisco State University to study film and television. This period was a formative one, as he transitioned from still imagery to the moving image. His brief but formative work as a live studio television cameraman gave him an insider’s view into the orchestration of visual media production. It was here that he learned to respond in real-time to images unfolding before him an experience that still informs his instinctual approach to digital composition today.
Eventually, Berdach returned to New York, and by 1989/90, he found himself drawn to the emerging world of digital art. At The School of Visual Arts, he began experimenting in the computer lab just before the official release of the first version of Adobe Photoshop. What started as curiosity evolved into a lifelong passion that would propel his work into new dimensions.
Digital Alchemy: Merging Technology and Imagination
Berdach refers to his work with computers as “playing,” but the results are anything but casual. Over the past 35 years, his artistic process has become a sophisticated dialogue between technology and imagination. His digital collages, though rooted in pixels and programs, are deeply human in their emotional and narrative content.
He has created over 100,000 images, including both digital files and still photographs, demonstrating a prolific output rare even among seasoned artists. Each work undergoes a process of refinement before being released as a limited edition print. The physicality of the final output, whether printed on canvas, paper, or another substrate, grounds the digital image in the tactile world.
Berdach’s artworks have not gone unnoticed. He has won international competitions, and his images have been featured in magazines and books, earning him recognition in both digital and traditional art circles.
Reviving History Through Visual Storytelling
What distinguishes “Forest Spirit” and other works in Berdach’s oeuvre is his ability to resuscitate archival material with contemporary meaning. By embedding historical subjects within digitally constructed environments, he challenges viewers to reconsider the past not as static documentation, but as a living dialogue.
In “Forest Spirit,” Kills First becomes more than a historical figure; he becomes a mythic embodiment of resilience, surrounded by the primal energy of the natural world. The vibrant greens and ethereal textures of the forest suggest a world not lost, but transformed, a visual rebirth, crafted with reverence.
There is an implicit spiritual thread in Berdach’s work. The forest, in many indigenous traditions, is not merely a setting; it is a living spirit, a witness, a healer. Infusing this living energy into a portrait of someone who was once objectified for public spectacle is a quiet act of resistance. It reclaims the dignity of the subject while offering a transcendent reimagining.
Legacy in Pixels and Prints
Howard Berdach’s legacy lies not only in the quantity of his creations but in their depth and complexity. With each piece, he crafts a moment of convergence between old and new, between analog memory and digital vision, between forgotten subjects and renewed attention.
He is a storyteller of the digital age, yet his narratives are timeless. They echo with cultural reverence, visual experimentation, and a profound respect for the subjects he brings to life.
Through “Forest Spirit” and countless other works, Berdach invites us to look beyond the surface of an image. In doing so, he challenges us to see history, identity, and nature not as separate fragments, but as threads of a larger, ever-evolving tapestry.
