11 - 11 - 19
One of the more esoteric illustrators and highly influencial illustrastors, Brian Froud
is an artist I have begun to take a look into, more casually than anything, as his artwork visually does not represent much that informs my own practice.
My exposure to Froud began at a young age with Labrinth and the Dark Crystal, primarily through the 3d models created from his concept sketches, but I was not made awear of his paintings and illustrations until this year when discovering the Netflix prequel series of The Dark Crystal.
"I prefer to keep my rendering as loose as possible, just on the edge of being finished. I want a painting to give just enough information for the picture to make sense; there should always be a little bit kept back, a few pieces missing, which the viewer must supply himself. In doing that, the picture comes to life. It becomes part of a reciprocal process, a communication. The painting allows you inside, where it can grow, and you can grow."
However it was a particular quote taken from an online article that I found highly helpful when describing, in part, the basis for my intentions to my work away from the figurative forms of year 2 to a more communicative 'reciprocal' artwork, with a softness and mutability that gives the viewer pause to fill in the blanks themselves. This particular quote of Froud sparked my initial shifts in mind towards leaving a bit more of my work that 'allows you inside, where it can grow' - very important passage of writing for me from a childhood (now artistic) influence.