I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at his Artist's Reception in Glendale recently and was completely awed and inspired by his futuristic paintings!
First, a brief BIO - Syd Mead graduated with distinction from the Art Center College of Design in 1959. His specialty was in creating innovative and realistic looking transportation and architectural renderings and this kept him in constant demand by Intl. Hotels, architectural firms and the Auto Industry for over twenty years until he was discovered by the film industry in 1979. Since then he has worked on such motion pictures as Star Trek, Tron, Blade Runner, 2010, Aliens, John Mnemonic and MI-3. Most recently Mr. Mead worked with director Neill Blomkampt on his latest Sci-Fi production due to be released some time this year (2012).
What struck me most when I looked at the collection of Syd Mead's paintings (currently on exhibit at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale) was the attention and respect to detail that he puts into every stroke. Mainly working in gouache, the medium of choice for most illustrators throughout recent years, his paintings reveal immediately that this artist does not rush or hurry through his work. He doesn't have ADD! He's not lazy. Doesn't become bored with what he's doing. Goes the extra mile, putting in interesting details far back into the distance of his scene, where most artists, including myself would choose to just let it go, due to general fatigue or lack of imagination.
Syd Mead reminds me through his art, to follow through. Not to get restless. To be respectful of what it is I'm trying to convey and not to get sloppy or lazy.
Geez, I'm truly humbled and a little bit embarrassed to call myself an artist next to this man. So, I'll call myself a painter with a vision and a hope to be an artist like Syd Mead some day when I grow up.
No comments:
Post a Comment