Peony Gent
Peony Gent is an illustrator, installation artist and poet based in London. Her work includes publications, hand-made comics, public poetry, editorials, textiles and much more. What drew me to an artist like Gent is of course the multidisciplinary nature of her work, but also the quiet, unassuming graphic form she acquires in which to present her narrative-driven work to the viewer.
Like with many of the illustrators I admire, Gent has a more unreserved and somewhat lyrical 'sketchy' linework style that is prevalent across all of her projects. There's an intriguing contrast between wide, sweeping shapes and tiny, more intricate features that bring to life a sense of place, as well as offering textural play within the artwork.
Also, within her body of work, Gent spends a lot of time making zines, or specifically comic strip zines, intended to mark certain moments or events in time, significant happenings within Gent's immediate surroundings. On her website, she writes:
I make comics to process and pin moments in my life, and to mull over thoughts that won't stop lingering. However I hope it also feels somewhat cathartic for anyone else going through similar thought processes, or anyone else stuck in a similar rut.
The use of comics as a graphic process is not only a fun way to interplay narrative, but also a way in which the viewer can relate to the story, working their way through the text and imagery in a perceived order.
Gent's illustrative style cleverly encapsulates an emotive persona through her expressive penmanship paired considerately alongside poetic words and musings. The feelings she wants to visualise- the narrative she is telling the viewer- is always considered whether that be in stand alone graphics or more readable publication formats.
Emotions, and ways in which we can express them, are a huge part of my current, language-based project, all about non-English words used to express deep emotional states that we would consider 'indescribable'. A visual process like a comic-strip may well be beneficial in order to communicate this sort of idea, so in that way Gent's style of work has been greatly inspiring for me.
Comments
Post a Comment