Biography in the arts

I was born as Rudolf Friedrich Bliem in Graz, where my father worked at the opera house as the head of stage art. My mother had not yet taken up her profession as preschool teacher. After a brief spell in Switzerland we moved to Australia when I was 4 years old,  and where I subsequently grew up. Motivated by my father´s work I began to practice the skills of drawing and painting at an early age and in my later teens had intended on enrolling in art school. Having learnt to play the classic guitar, in the wake of the folk movement, I co-founded a folk-type Austrian music group, the Misthaufen. This resulted in 3 years of intense, but successful work, with 5 singles, an LP and much press attention, before I left the group in late 1972.

At this time I gained an interest in the connection between music and art , and soon discovered that in pursuance of this subject matter I required a university education in the physical and natural sciences. And, given what I had experienced with my father and much later with Rudolf Macek (see below), I was also convinced that I would surely not have time for such a study once I had committed myself to a livelihood as a freelance artist. So, despite my early intentions, I chose to study Bioengineering at a Viennese university and to continue with a extra-mural art education and training. This allowed me the freedom to allot my time to art as I saw fit. This ultimately worked well and I completed my studies in Bioengineeering at the on the one hand, and my art training on the other. Regarding the latter, in 1980 I was very fortunate to be taken into the studio of Rudolf Macek, a graduate from the Prager Academy of Fine Arts and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, who had established a notable career in Australia, before moving to Austria. At this time was already exhibiting in a small gallery in Währing, Vienna. A year later I moved to England, where I soon found regular work as a science illustrator, cartoonist for several journals. The increasing demand for this work provided a steady income and livelihood. However, having had to support a small family, I needed some additional income, which I found with a biotech start-up, which nevertheless offered me sufficient time to pursue my art work. And so I soon exhibited in and around Cambridge and in 1984 held, a successful exhibition on Science Art, titled "Art in vivo", at the Cambridge Central Library, which was the central venue for public exhibitions. This was the first exhibition in the UK devoted entirely to science art that I had been aware of.

In 1988 I was offered work in the US, which I had projected for a period of 3 years. This "interim" opportunity evolved into a lengthy stay in science, engineering, business and academia, before returing to art once again and to continue, as well as I could, where I had left off. Nevertheless this interim period gave me ample time to clarify my definition of rwhat Science Art is, what it can do and what its features are.

Since returning to art I have been very fortunate in finding interest in my work, leading to exiiting projects and  exhibitions.

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