Ambiguous Illustrations

As much detail as I put into my illustrations, I purposefully leave areas that are quite ambiguous.  This is by design, and is possibly the most intriguing part of the image. So much of art is what we bring to it- meaning, what memories and biases we already have that we infuse into the image we see. What better way to create alternative possibilities regarding the meaning of the work than to be vague? I want to see what the viewer brings to the image.

For example, in Spare Time, you will see books stacked up behind the girl. But if you look closely, you’ll see that I neglected to include any names or markings on them. The next time you look at an illustration see how many details there are versus what’s missing.  How do you fill in the blanks? Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

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