When Does the World Touch Us?

My investigation centered on the theme of connection and its absence; what it means to touch, and what it means to be alone, as seen through the lens of related invented environmental illustrations. What makes an empty cityscape feel alive? What makes an occupied room feel lonely?

All paintings are physically created in the same way: all composed from the same 3000*4000 px canvas, via the same application (Autodesk Sketchbook), on the same iPad, using the same digital brushes, and most notably, drawing from the same fictional world. This series of works consists entirely of selected scenes and locations from an original narrative, using human figures as sparingly as possible as I sought to convey the themes and emotions of each still through the environment alone.

An unexpected common thread throughout this investigation has been forced perspective; for a long time, I have had an inclination towards exaggeration in forms and gestures, and environments (when I do draw them) are no different. There is something quite intimate in the way in which space seems almost to envelop the subject of a wide-lensed image, whether with ominous closeness, as in image 1, or welcome warmth, as in image 3; and then there are images like 2 and 5, which pull back to appreciate the cold distance of the land. Color, too, has been a major player, as I’ve branched out from my first detachedly monochrome painting, alternating between melancholic grays and deep blushes of warm hue.