I made a list of artists (not necessarily illustrators) whose work I admire for a variety of different reasons:
- Merlin Evans
- Luke Adam Hawker
- Shaun Tan
- Gary Andrews
- Danny Gregory
- Sarah Bowie
- Andrea Joseph
- Lucinda Rogers
- George Butler
- Christoph Niemann
- Wil Freeborn
- Pat Southern-Pearce
- Anne Watkins
- Lizzy Stewart
- Ohn Mar Win
- Nicky Groom
- Roisin Cure
- Eleanor Crowe
- Sally Muir
- Matthew Cook
It's difficult to narrow the list down to 10, but I can't complete this exercise for 20 people (and counting....) so this is the top ten on my list today.
Merlin Evans is a medical artist who has expanded her practice to include educational work, scribing at meetings and visual investigation of mental health and emotions. Although she engages in a wide variety of activities they all respond to issues of health, both physical and mental, and secondarily education.
https://www.drawntomedicine.com/mental-health
I admire her work because she is always evolving and exploring and this keeps her illustrations fresh and relevant. I met her on a medical illustration course at the House of Illustration.
--------------------------------
I discovered Luke Adam Hawker through his architectural drawings and started to follow him on Instagram. More recently he has been posting drawings of people and his dog, then published Together about the pandemic. His architectural and tree drawings are recordings in pen and ink. Observations of what exists but isn't always noticed or celebrated. The drawings for the book are a move into storytelling, maybe that was something that he has always done but not made public. The book is a beautiful gentle comment on how humans can behave at their best. Its not a deep commentary but it is a record of a strange and difficult time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL94J8QleRz/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCW5SrinAl4/
but her work has evolved to be more stylised and interpretative. I admire her for being brave enough to continue growing and developing even though she could have safely continued to stick to her successful formula. She has made her illustrations into zines, maps, cards, posters and prints. I don't think that she is responding to anything more than the world around her, which is a perfectly good source of inspiration, maybe that counts as creative research? She remains contemporary because she continues to evolve, currently making collage as well as returning to her ballpoint work albeit with slightly less detail.
Architectural illustration is a niche, mostly interesting to people who have a link to the subject matter, but then I suppose I could say the same about animal/plant/food/fashion illustration. His drawing style almost looks as though the picture has been knitted, the subject coalesces in the lines on the page.
Maybe the important thing with his architectural work is that it softens the hard edges of a building and makes it cuddly? His book is contemporary, addressing a time we have all lived through and brings the readers together with the shared experience. I could comment on Instagram to start a conversation.
--------------------------------
Shaun Tan drew The Arrival a book I bought on a whim when I was researching graphic novels for Illustration 2.
It is one of my favourite books ever, I read it very slowly when I first got it as I really didn't want it to end. This link has a discussion of the authors process and his thoughts behind the narrative. Amongst the reflections he says:
"Words have a remarkable magnetic pull on our attention, and how we interpret attendant images: in their absence, an image can often have more conceptual space around it, and invite a more lingering attention from a reader who might otherwise reach for the nearest convenient caption, and let that rule their imagination."
I touched on this phenomenon with my research project, I would like to create something that can stand without words although I suspect that it is very difficult.....
I like the way that Tan uses his illustrations to make poltical statements. In The Arrival he is dealing with the universal experiences of immigrants, in his new book Tales from the Inner City (review here) he explores the role of humans within the world. (I haven't read this yet but I intend to.)
His ideas are contemporary because he is dealing with universal ideas and concepts, there has always been movement of people between different cultures, it's challenging and something that we have all missed during Covid, but also something that scares people. The prospect of refugees upsetting the status quo is so scary to some people that they lose their own sense of humanity. We are part of a vast ecosystem, yet until recently most people were happy to believe that we were special and above the rest of the environment.
As he lives in Australia I'm unlikely to have a proper conversation with him but there are contact details on his website so I could ask questions if I have any, however his website is very informative.
--------------------------------
Gary Andrews came to my attention because he was being interviewed on the radio about his doodleaday project. I'm interested in stories from everyday life, and people who draw and publish daily, (I draw daily but I wouldn't want the pressure to create something worth posting every day). Andrews has worked on many projects including work for Disney, so he starts with a background in drawing for narration, but only started daily posting in 2016. Most of his work is for entertainment and promotion, though he has done some cartoons for Private Eye and book illustrations.
His book Finding Joy, comes out of the doodleaday project and aims to support the bereaved. In his posts I can see that even as an experienced illustrator his style has been honed by the discipline of the daily posts. Although I appreciate his skills as an illustrator this project is what attracted me to his work, the way that he can draw a moment from his life on a single page. I have on many occasions kept an illustrated diary but I haven't managed to keep it up, maybe I should try again.
Gary Andrews has contact details on his website and is also on Instagram.
--------------------------------
Danny Gregory - Unfortunately grief is always a contemporary subject, and one that lends itself well to illustration. Danny Gregory published his first book after his wife suffered an life changing injury (Everyday Matters)
and produced A Kiss Before You Go after her death.
Both gave me an insight into the grief process. He also drew regularly and encouraged others to document their worlds. He doesn't publish much now but I admire him for his loose bold style, the way that he combines words with text and his ability to encourage others, if anyone asks me about learning to draw I encourage them to get one of his books. He is responding to the world around him and finds interest and beauty in the everyday. Again he has contact details on line.
--------------------------------
Sarah Bowie is another artist who responds to everyday events around her. Although she has illustrated a couple of childrens books what I like about her work is her illustrations of the people she sees around her, and their interactions (here on Instagram). She draws cartoons but there is enough detail to get a feeling of the people she is observing. Her work is more text based, and I feel myself reading the text more than looking at her drawings. It's a form of reportage on everyday life that has a historical value as well as being strangely addictive to read. Contact details on line.
--------------------------------
Andrea Joseph interviewed here started out using biros to make very detailed drawings,
but her work has evolved to be more stylised and interpretative. I admire her for being brave enough to continue growing and developing even though she could have safely continued to stick to her successful formula. She has made her illustrations into zines, maps, cards, posters and prints. I don't think that she is responding to anything more than the world around her, which is a perfectly good source of inspiration, maybe that counts as creative research? She remains contemporary because she continues to evolve, currently making collage as well as returning to her ballpoint work albeit with slightly less detail.
She was part of the Urbansketchers movement so I did see her from a distance when there was a symposium in Manchester so I could start a conversation through that group though I would be more likely to use Instagram.
--------------------------------
Lucinda Rogers is a reportage artist whose work appears in books and magazines. I admire her for her ability to draw on such a big scale in public (although I am happier to draw outside than I used to be I need the security of an A4 sketchbook or smaller). I am also impressed by her use of line to directly the viewers attention.
She made a series of drawings of Ridley Road Market in London which both captures the spirit of a London market and is aimed in helping to preserve it from developers. Her reportage is therefore about recording and political argument. I think her choice of subject matter makes her work contemporary but also the way that she uses line over colour which feels like a modern take on 1960's illustrations. (Contact details on her website)
--------------------------------
George Butler is another high profile reportage artist but his work is more international and political, using paintings to highlight the challenges of people who are living difficult lives in war zones across the world. Again I am attracted to his style, figurative detail given room to breathe. He uses colours sensitively and has a knack for selecting interesting, relevant scenes to paint. He has chosen an area which is sadly always in the news. Recently he has made illustrations of wildlife and is following a theme of coexistence. I did see him at his exhibition in London, and I could have started a conversation if I could have thought of anything to say.....
--------------------------------
Christoph Niemann came to my attention when I saw a documentary about him. I admire what seems to be endless creativity, his Sunday sketches are often so simple you wonder why you never saw the idea for yourself.
He also mixes analog drawing with digital enhancement, creating mini animations and immersive experiences for the readers of The New York Times. Some of his work is about these advances in technology and some has a political or moral comment to make. It is his willingness to embrace new technologies and ideas that keeps his work contemporary. As he lives in Berlin I am unlikely to have a conversation with him unless it is online.
One of a series of drawings on fake news https://www.christophniemann.com/detail/fake-news/
Comments
Post a Comment