Mainly
working with vector illustration design, Logan Mooney’s work transcends the
stigma of textual, straightforward graphic design and moves into the realm of
fine art. Mooney creates rich, detailed, clean compositions using Adobe Illustrator and the pen tool that he describes are almost
like I Spy. When asked about his
process Mooney says he simply begins by taking inspiration from images and
things he sees day to day. These images could be anything he finds interesting
or abnormal, he then creates a sketch and begins to add detail, or accessories to figures and animals like
teeth or jewelry. He then scans his sketches into the computer and begins
working with Illustrator, or
sometimes a Wacom tablet.
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| Medusa |
To
create his piece Medusa, Mooney
started with a drawing of a female figure he was working on for class, the
drawing was then scanned into the computer, and reworked with the pen tool for a total of 24 hours. Mooney
adds that drawing hair has always been his least favorite part of drawing the
figure, which inspired the melting candles instead of hair. The candles create
a soft yellow glow covering the body, which Mooney says was deliberate to
create a sense of softness and natural light. Overall, the image conveys a more
non-traditional depiction of the Greek mythological monster. Instead of snakes
for hair like the traditional medusa, Mooney has used melting candles, which
gives the figure a sense of warmth and femininity instead of darkness and evil.
This really conveys the idea of the female figure as soft, warm, inviting, but
also mysterious. The figure also holds a church candle snuffer which adds to
the symbolism of the piece and makes the viewer question Mooney’s intent for
the image.
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| Convolutions of Eden |
Another
example of Mooney’s work is his piece Convolutions
of Eden. For this piece Mooney took inspiration from the creation story in
the Bible, adding his own twist to the story. Mooney reveals that inspiration
for this piece came mainly from his own personal journey with religion. The
curved intertwining lines symbolize Mooney’s fluid thought process, while the
rest of the imagery is inspired by the creation story. However, Mooney has also
included some small details that are not part of the story including a cocoon,
and other egg like symbols. To him these symbols relate to fertility and
mothers. He adds that in today’s world mothers seem undervalued and that we
should appreciate their sacrifice and commitment. Mooney also adds that a lot
of his work is inspired by the work of flash (tattoo) artists, which is
exemplified by his close tight knit compositions, as well as his method of story telling through imagery. Mooney feels that story telling is an important
part of his work and that changing the interpretation of the creation story was
the main goal of Convolutions of Eden.
For this piece Mooney expresses his desire to redefine the story to focus less
on the initial creation and downfall of man to creation and rebirth as part of
his spiritual journey. To create this piece, Mooney uses a simple unified color
scheme, using a bright almost neon green, contrasted against a grey background
with other darker and lighter green hues. Mooney’s use of color is bold and
applied to create contrasting outlines. Mooney says this is intentional and
inspired partly by his interest in flash design as well. He uses a mix of
simplified imagery that overall creates a complex composition. All of the
elements in this piece flow and have an organic feel to them reinforcing the idea
of creation and Eden, and adding to the story Mooney is trying to tell.
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| Self Portrait |
Overall,
Mooney states what he is trying to accomplish in his work is a unified
composition, asking himself, how many
things can I add and still make this work? Mooney wants the viewer to think
and question, all the while searching for the small details he has placed in
the composition, looking for the easter eggs
if you will. Mooney says he gets inspiration from many things but really enjoys
art nouveau, flash art, street art, and the work of Dan Mumford and Ken Taylor.
All in all, Mooney is a storyteller who asks a lot of what if questions. Looking
at the ordinary world and searching for the abnormal, Mooney uses symbolism to
convey his own personal thoughts and ideas by adding small details and using
interesting subject matter. Using vector illustration as a medium for fine art Mooney
steps beyond the world of traditional graphic design and uses his own personal
style and ideas to create works of art.
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| Mooney at work |
Currently Logan Mooney is a fifth year
graphic design major and will be applying for BFA in the Fall of 2014. He also works
at the Valley Vanguard as a graphic
designer/cartoonist, and has had his work published in Cardinal Sins, in both
the Fall 2013 edition and the Winter 2014 edition. He also had his work in the
Winter 2014 Cyberspace Competition II Exhibit at the University Art Gallery,
where he won a merit award for his piece Medusa.
Alison
Bur
Gallery
Assistant
University
Art Gallery
Saginaw
Valley State University
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