Pen & Ink Reproductions of Dreams with Endearing Creatures.
Artist: Flip Solomon
Expertise: Illustration
Materials: Pen & Ink, Paper
Style: Black & White Drawings with a Mystical Air
Inspiration: Dreams & Animal Characters
Subject Matter: Animals in their Natural Habitats
Common Creations: Drawings, Prints, Notecards, Jewelry, Leggings, Scarves
Website: www.flipsolomon.com
Shop Online: Skyline Art Editions
Shop Offline: Events Announced on Social Media
Social Media: [Facebook] [Instagram]
Home Base: Austin, TX
Spotted At: East Austin Studio Tour
I greatly admire artists like Flip Solomon who take visions from their dreams and turn them into reality. To be so in touch with your unconscious self that you can bring such magical scenes and creatures to life must be wonderful! Of course, it helps that Flip has a beautiful illustration style! Many of her pieces are large scale pen and ink drawings featuring nature's most majestic beasts: Wolves, Swans, Octopi, Owls, Peacocks, Rabbits, Squirrels, and many more. The bigger canvases she prefers allow for careful attention to detail. Flip renders each animal in her pieces with so much character that they are very lively, even without true to life color. While the occasional hue may be added for effect, this painstaking illustrator operates mostly in shades of gray, and she achieves wonderful texture and definition, whether she's working on scales, fur or feathers. I love that she places some of her subjects in their natural habitat surrounded by symbols of abundance and prosperity while others find themselves in abstract or geometric scenery that gives a bold, graphic feel. Once a drawing is complete, Flip often reproduces her originals as smaller versions so more people can enjoy them as prints, notecards and even some clothing and accessories. You don't see many works of art that make any sense as leggings for example but the black and white scheme Flip favors yields fabulous and fun results! My favorite collection among Flip's work is one she calls "Kissing Cousins." These illustrations depict pairs of animals often face to face in dreamy settings. Flip says her inspiration came from the fact that these animals have a way of telling if they're related before deciding to reproduce. "Are we cousins or can we kiss?" Clever! Anyone can pick up a pen and start to draw, but Flip's unique vision and years of honing her skill make her illustrations stunning! Which themes will she depict next?
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Photography by Annie Winsett |
