My current most favorite obsession is Toronto artist Alex Mcleod and his dark and dreamy landscapes that he creates using a wide varitety/mix of 3D modelling and graphics programs. Alex’s strong background as a painter gives his scenes a visual complexity, tension, style, and quality that is miles ahead of any of his contemporaries. His works are incredibly detailed and pull you in almost instantly. I’ll never forget Tom Dubicanac, my most influential mentor in my architectural education, who once told me something invaluable during an intense 4-month study abroad program in Rome (where he gave me and my fellow classmates the most amazing drawing instruction course one could ever hope to get). He reinforced to us how the success of any drawing, painting, or illustration hinges critically on the ability of the viewer to be able to “enter” the image. If you do everything right, and somehow manage to get all of your plates spinning (i.e. composition, movement, color, form, etc.) you will almost certainly produce a work of art that is capable of pulling the viewer inside. If not, the image becomes nothing more than a flat, inaccessible canvas. And Alex McLeod is an incredible example of an artist who has this illusive gift. To see more of Alex’s incredible work, just click HERE.
