Meet October’s Emerging Artist Dominic Sowle
What is influencing your work at the moment?
Comic strips, Moebius, Zdzisław Beksiński, Pinterest.
How did you come to focus on your current subject?
I am still exploring and not really focused on a particular subject. There are a great many sheep in my work due to a 2005 sheep-themed interpretation of the word “Rampage” as “RAM-page”, which has haunted me (mostly in a good way) likely for the rest of my life.
Can you articulate what draws you to a particular composition?
The absence of one.
Who or what has strongly influenced your work?
Bill Watterson, Walt Kelly, Shultz, Jean Giraud, Hergé, Gary Larson, Theodor Seuss Geisel, life and family.
If you could have one work of art in your home from a museum or private collection, what would it be?
Any original comic strip art by the above Artists.
Why did you decide to work in your chosen medium?
To limit myself, in hopes of improving my artwork.
What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
Parallel rule, no wait, ink.
How do you know when a piece of work is finished?
When I have overdone it. I am working on this skill.
From where do you draw your inspiration?
Sketching from imagination and long car rides. However, by the time I get home after a ride, I sometimes forget the ideas.
What does your studio look like?
The corner of an attic room. A friend of mine once said, “If Harry Potter lived in the attic instead of under the stairs, that would be a fairly accurate representation of your studio.”
I hope you find a journey in exploring my works. My imagination, encouraging your imagination. Stylistically, you’ll see I’m most at ease just creating without any excess planning - I find it leaves me more space to play, learn, explore, and experiment. Mechanically, I childishly lay down strokes over a guesstimated perspective grid only to foolishly abandon the grid. As you can likely tell, I enjoy the sketching process, and my loftier goals are to bring whimsy and awe to the same page. Anywho, Thank you for taking the time to be on my journey and explore my artwork.
