Male

Three

A designer who's work rides on the crest of popular culture yet often resembles fine art, Three is always at the forefront of the design frontier. Three studied graphic design and 'post studio' art at California Institute of The Arts (where he changed his name from Harry Michael Portwood Jr.), after graduation Three interned at 'HP' expecting to find a door into what would one day be the web--but it was too early--the industry Three imagined had not been introduced to the public and the computers, cables, and software to create it was nonexistent. So Three continued to work as a "print" designer, cartoonist, and soon to be performance artist.

As a refuge to post art school shock Three became a board member and curator at Works Gallery in San Jose California, and helped to shape the space in which experimental art would inhabit in Northern California. Shows included works by Artists Barbara Bordo, Barbara Cressman, Ana England, Laralee Gubler, Eve & Dan King-Lehman, Colleen McCrystle, and Phil Tiger. During this period Three also created performances with his company 'Orientals in Disguise' which included guests performers Laralee Gubler, Mary Ann Gubler, Hanneline Rogeberg, and others. Performance at 'Works' and 'Eulipia' took place at a time while this "former state capital" was gutted for reconstructed, yet Three's artistic efforts won him several commissioned performances for 'The San Jose Biennial': 'Phil Tiger's Fatal Obsession Meets The Enemy By Three: Five evenings of performance and a site installation', 'Cigarette' and a fully staged evening long event 'The Ghost in Her Hand' which featured the San Jose State 'Lou Harrison Gamalan Orchestra". What's more--'Works Gallery' not only provided Three with a launch-pad for his creative works, it was also was the location of his wedding.

There have been many first in Three's career. Three was among the team that launched the San Jose's version of 'The Village Voice'--'Metro'. In Norway Three retired from performance, then with the help of artist Sisle Lilibostad and renaissance man/composer Mike Morgan reopened 'Kardemomme by'--the historic cardamom factory in Bergen which was scheduled to be demolished (pending budget)--and turned the former factory into a arts community. There Three created design school 'Design Haus'. classes included life drawing, photography and magazine design. In Oslo Three had a brief career as a model at the new Esmod International fashion school. Later in San Francisco, Three created graphics and animated works under Mike Morgan and Nick Bonus at 'Petroglyph' for 'The Rolling Stones' and 'Smashing Pumpkins'. While in San Francisco Three also worked on digital images, including a beautiful portrait of Winston Tong (of early Tuxedo Moon) which were snapped up by and featured in Adobe PhotoShops first digital gallery.


Three's mark on the internet began as Senior Designer for Wired Magazines' 'Hotwired.com' Three began pushing boundaries of web design with 'Renaissance 2.0', 'Pop' and other first wave web sites, whose' influence, inspired, and defined the future of web design. Later as Creative Director for Microsoft's 'New York Sidewalk.com' Three helped to launch Microsoft's flagship arts and entertainment guide. At the close of the 1990s' MTV was next and as Design Director of the most popular music site in the nation Three lead a cutting edge team of designers, photographers and web developers, creating original breakthrough designs which also featured the works of many of the best web-based artist, illustrators, animators photographers and digital manipulators of this generation. Spike TV/MTV visionary Kim Morgan and Three provided MTV with a flag firmly marking internet space when they launched the first interactive web videos 'Webeo'. MTV's 'Webeo' was created through the collaboration of many music video directors such as Floria Sigusmundi, with interactive web design gurus like 'Spleen's' Piotr Szyhalski and music icons such as Bjork.

After years at MTV Networks Three took time off to work on new design projects including a limited edition package design collaboration with Carla Gannis for the lovely Brooklyn band 'Edison Woods' and their album 'seven principals of leave No Trace". 'The Title', a series of stills for film staring New Yorker/Singaporean actress Jovinna. A urban portrait/time capsule/book entitled 'Images of The Indefinite Past - the industrial face and landscape of Willamsburgh Brooklyn at a time of transition between artist occupation and the first wave of gentrification'.

Recently Three returned to California where he has applied his craft in styling the UI of exciting web 2.0 communities such as 'TheWhole9.com', and 'UthTV.com'. In 2006 Three was commissioned to hand-pick and direct the in-house web team for music mecca Amoeba Music. The soon-to-be launched Amoeba Records site is also Three's creation.

Three is now UI/Design Director for the highly addictive 'ThisNext.com' and is collaborating with cultural icon Rishi on several projects including 'Everybody Gets to Be Friends - Rishi and the Superpop renaissance'.

Other solo projects which will soon surface are Three's return to performance with his photo-based Butoh sires 'The 40 Czars of Mars' and his first music album tentatively named 'Music For Butoh; Vol. I'. Three is also working on the creation of his first design studio 'H.M.PORTWOOD.JR.' which will produce two top secret projects 'The Skin of Time' and 'The Unconscious'.