Digital Explorations
Spring 2023
An exploration in visual composition via Procreate
This series was created in the spring of 2023, when I was taking a break from painting after having had a very busy fall/winter season the previous year. I wanted to just play around and make things that were low-pressure and low-effort, and digital painting was an easy way to do that.
During this time period, I wanted to explore things that were very different from what I had done before. So instead of the layered, textured, and impressionistic images, I tried making a few that were flatter, simpler, and sharper.
While I found these interesting (and would continue to explore this type of art in a different series), it didn’t feel completely right at the time. So I went back to my previous style but experimented with using lighter colors, simpler composition, and various linework. Over time, the images became increasingly more energetic and dynamic.
Eventually, I missed some of the simplicity and calmness of the earlier pieces and decided to dial it back, seeking the right balance between the two.
The final three images much more successfully combines all the elements. To me, they feel peaceful yet radiant, and complete.
I enjoyed my foray into using lighter and calmer colors, but I missed the vibrant palette that I normally used, so I also made several pieces using richer and brighter colors.
These followed a similar trajectory of starting with a simpler composition and more subdued feel and then gradually adding more and more complexity and dynamic energy.
Once again, I eventually found the right balance between the two, as shown in these final three images, which feel vibrant yet grounded.
Overall, I really enjoyed making these exploratory pieces. I was in a bit of a rut at the beginning of the year after overworking the previous season and this series helped bring playfulness back to my art again.
It also generated a lot of ideas for new work and I’m excited to see how they’ll influence my future paintings.