Concepts

I usually like working with a defined theme, but sometimes I like to give myself the outlet to explore other ideas. It is very challenging to come up with new original ideas. I try to make something of it when I do come across an inspiring theme or idea. Some of them are heavily inspired by music while others are simply random ideas in the spur of the moment.

I am deeply drawn to melancholy. I really like Edvard Munch’s paintings (most famously known for ‘“The Scream“). Vampire is my favorite painting of his. His paintings evoke a feeling of hopelessness that I find fascinating to portray. These themes connect perfectly with the tone of the music that I like listening to. Hope leaves by Opeth is a good example of what I am talking about. The idea is not to portray shock or a feeling of being overwhelmed by emotion. Rather, the aim of the sketches below is to capture a feeling of drifting apathy and hopelessness. A lack of a reason to care.

I draw from images I find on the internet. Sketching with a cup of coffee in cafe is not something I find very appealing.

The next series of paintings are focused on a similar but slightly different theme. The focus here is more on the feeling of despair, grief and of being trapped, in connection with perhaps a mental illness. The inspiration for this comes from the works of Haruki Murakami. I find this resounding theme in many of my favorite novels from the author. Another artist whose work I enjoy very much is Zdzislaw Beksinski, though I would characterize his work as more dystopian with a feeling of existential dread. I would also like to point you to the song Lethean by Katatonia for more context on the imagery of my paintings. It is puzzling to me, as to why it is so much more interesting to show negative emotions as opposed to a bright day in the sun. It is also a question I would ask of most of these artists! I also wonder about the psyche of these artists and the influence it had on their work.

Cosmic dread is a theme that H. P. Lovecraft writes about in his books. Unattainable knowledge/wisdom that can drive you mad is a common feature of his books. It is heavily utilized as a theme in some of my favorite games too, like Bloodborne for example. In his book The Call of Cthulhu, Cthulhu (the great old one) is an anthropoid creature with an octopus-like head that influences a cult through their dreams. This prompted the idea of paintings based on communing with elder beings, mostly represented in my work as insects, fish, slugs, etc.

I like to work on art as a concept. First, I find it easier to express an idea through a series of paintings as opposed to a single art piece. Second, I find a well defined piece more communicative than say a completely abstract art piece. I do not speak in a general sense but rather in the context of these specific pieces. And, of course it is a matter of choice, as to how you portray your ideas. Reflecting on my work in the last 5 years, I can see that it is heavily influenced by the media that I consume and this is indeed skewed in certain directions. However, thinking about it now, I cannot say that I find saturation in these topics. Rather, only more depth!