Matías Larraín - Artist/Illustrator Research

Another inspiration I have found is Matías Larraín, who is an artist and illustrator from Argentina.

He makes playful, colourful pictures inspired by daily moments, food, animals, and generally everyday life. He seeks beauty in simplicity, using minimal elements to have maximum impact.

Sketchbook research/entry

I love his use of colour, using solid and contrasting palettes, but you will see each colour subtly resembles the individual landscape elements. Green for grass, brown for a cabin log hut, yellow for wheat fields, or black for midnight sky. They remind me of loading placeholder images, which show the dominant colour on the specific photo.

I also enjoy the simple geometric shapes, which pair down the elements to their most basic form. Larraín successfully captures the positive potential and wonder of our world, using an adventurous and curious language to evoke happy reactions.

Take-away

• Be more adventurous with colour, and think about how the landscape can be paired down to unique yet familiar forms. This familiar yet abstract representation could be seen differently by the viewer, but would create fun conversation for sharing of stories in nature.

• How can you use colour and shapes to represent the positive, adventurous spirit felt within nature?