Painting and Digital Media: The Art of Kevin McLaughlin
Tubular Litigation, large format digital print
Kevin McLaughlin works in both traditional painting and digital media, building works off of an undulating, snakelike organic form. In various permutations throughout the artist’s portfolio, these snakelike forms take on new and different identities depending on medium and application.
Focus Pocus, large format digital print
Kevin’s recent digital artworks showcase both colour and form -- the artist’s unique take on his abstract subject matter. In our previous feature of Kevin’s work, we looked at the way his traditional and digital artworks represent different aesthetic facets of his style. It’s interesting to see the differences between Kevin’s digital works, made in Photoshop, and his traditional works, where he utilizes paint to lend the shapes and textures a uniquely organic texture and presence.
I find that Kevin’s digital works are especially successful in evoking the feeling of an otherworldly landscape, not just through visible figures, but through the use of colour and overall atmosphere. The works remind me of pieces by Melissa Ann Lambert in their unabashed use of deeply unnatural palettes.
