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| Circuit board oil painting, 'Blue Tooth' |
Arizona based artist and designer, Joe Dragt, has recently attracted a lot of attention with his circuit board paintings series. However, with years of professional design experience, and a natural creative talent, his work is much more varied.
Dragt began drawing as a child and continued to develop his skills throughout his educational career, though he never had any formal training in traditional art. After deciding to focus on design as a career, he studied commercial art/design at college, eventually gaining his 'Associates of Arts degree in Visual Communication' from Al Collins Graphic Design School (now Collins College) in 2000. After graduating, Dragt worked as a professional designer, creating websites, logos and art for clients, and his own art had become more of a hobby, through which to express himself.
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| Pastel, 'Heart on Sleeve' |
However, recently, Dragt has begun to concentrate on being an artist again, rather than working on commercial projects for others, and the unusual circuit board series has helped to bring worldwide attention to his work over the past year. His distinctive combination of well-executed, macabre art and original presentation methods make his art memorable and stand out from other dark and anatomical pieces.
Even the titles chosen are deliberate and add something to the work. For example, 'Heart on Sleeve' is an anatomical drawing, with the metaphorical title being shown literally. Without the title, the piece would still be intriguing, but would probably convey an entirely different feeling to the viewer. That though, is part of the appeal of Dragt's work; his ability to take familiar subjects/items and provide a fresh perspective of them, in order to create something unusual and new.
Even the titles chosen are deliberate and add something to the work. For example, 'Heart on Sleeve' is an anatomical drawing, with the metaphorical title being shown literally. Without the title, the piece would still be intriguing, but would probably convey an entirely different feeling to the viewer. That though, is part of the appeal of Dragt's work; his ability to take familiar subjects/items and provide a fresh perspective of them, in order to create something unusual and new.
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| Pastel, 'Madonna and Child' |
For more information on Joe Dragt and work, or to buy his art, you can visit the following websites:
- Joe Dragt's Official Website, Tomorrow and Beyond
- Joe Dragt on Fine Art America
- Joe Dragt on RAW: Phoenix
Check back for an exclusive interview with Joe Dragt, here on Horror Shock Lolipop, tomorrow!
