I recently did this a few weeks ago. Back in 2007 I started doing some digital collages that I thought were pretty successful finished pieces. By 2008 I was thinking about the possibility of taking the same idea and translating it to real objects. In 2010 I started creating more collages with the idea of illustrating specific concepts with collaged images. 4 Years later I finally finished my first piece. I think I’m going to pursue this direction further. What do you think?
~Greg
Last year during the winter doldrums, as I anxiously awaited getting outside into the garden I did a lot of reading. I happened across a fantastic book called The Complete Gnomes, written by Wil Huygen and illustrated by Rien Poortvliet. I am always interested in mythological creatures, but this book captivated me. It was so thorough and matter of fact that I quickly found myself lost in the book and especially the beautiful illustrations. The entire book left me with the desire to put on a hat and head to the woods with the hopes of finding a gnome myself. After I finished with the book I decided to give myself a project, to try on the style of Rien Poortvliet (very loosely speaking) and see where I landed. This is what I came up with:
I was pleased with how the image turned out. A few months later I started paying with a slightly different technique which I enjoyed greatly. So, liking the subject matter I tried making the piece again, this time using my own technique. Here’s what I came up with:
In the end it was really a fun exercise to try on someone else’s style, I don’t think I can do things like Rien Poortvliet ultimately, but at the end of the day I have two pieces of art to show for it, Huzzah! If you are a creative creator, visual art, writer, or whatever your stripe, I bet this exercise could be adapted for you. What’s something that’s inspired you lately?
~Greg