Artist Statement
My digital painting work is focused on fantastical world-building from a minutia of Medieval inspirations, and written stories. This culminated in the creation of Saga of Wonder, a story with a twofold purpose: first, to express the same sense of wonder and amazement that I experienced previously when reading and watching different fantasy stories as a child, and second, to explore the often-idiosyncratic nature of the Medieval world, and how we perceive and depict it through fantasy. Oftentimes in fantasy media depicting stories within this vein, there is a clear cut “hero” and “villain”, or a fantastical hierarchy of beings based around a set of predetermined traits. While this isn’t always the case, and while I still derive a lot of enjoyment from stories that use these tropes, I found them to be limiting to the possibilities of a story–and also not reflective of the realities of the Medieval period at all. Using visual cues both from previous fantasy artists and also from historical sources, I aimed to create a story without this intrinsic “moral pyramid”. I am inspired by artists who work on fantastical worlds in traditional media, though I aim to make my work as unique as possible. Many of the visual elements are adapted almost directly from historical art, architecture, arms and armor, as well as symbolism and cultural elements pertaining to themes that are used throughout. I start by creating loose watercolor compositions, which are then rendered into detail with layers of digital blending and additional marks that enhance the watercolors while allowing for additional digital effects. This process of layering continues until I have a fully realized digital image that I’m ready to present. I have been developing an ongoing narrative for many years, creating a world that feels vivid, lifelike, and complete in its presentation. It is my hope that people enjoy Saga of Wonder, and are able to experience some of the same excitement that I had creating it.
