Our new Oil on Canvas collection was created in collaboration with the Irish illustrator Mark Conlan. In an interview with Mark, we'll talk more about his creative journey, design trends, as well as the collaboration and process of creating the new collection.
- Mark Conlan is an Irish artist from Melbourne. Mark's ability to bring a concept to its visual essence distinguishes him from others, through which he is privileged to work with some of the world's most recognizable brands: Coca Cola, Illy, Casetify. -
Can you please tell us about your creative path? Where did your love of illustration begin?
My love for Illustrations began at an early age, I was always a curious and creative kid. I always wanted to be an artist when I grew up, and was always encouraged by everyone around me. This love continued to develop as I studied and then began my professional career as a graphic designer. I always knew the logical next step was to become an illustrator. The love affair continues everyday as I continue to find my voice as an artist and continue doing what I love everyday of the week.
How did you find your style?
My current style was definitely found through lots and lots of explorations, working on myself and my art everyday has definitely pointed me to where I am now. Inspiration is such a big part of growth. If we are not moving forward we are standing still and this often when we can lose our creative spark. I always think my style is developing and shifting on a regular basis, just the way I like it.
What inspires you to create?
Not to sound too cliche, but just for the love of expression. I love to be able to evoke my emotions, whether good or bad through any particular medium. It's not a form of expression but almost a therapy. Mixed with that I love being able to give others art to look at. I think artis such an important aspect of life that we can all find common ground upon.
Do you have any favourite illustrators? If yes, then who is it?
I am constantly inspired by the amazing artists around me everyday, it's a big part of the artist that I am. My favourites constantly change depending on project basis, mood etc etc. At this very moment, I am loving the moody children’s book art of Beatrice Alemagna. I also recently picked up The Quentin Blake book, so I have been rekindling my love for his beautiful scribbly style.
What is your favourite illustration among all of your works and why?
I am not sure I can answer this. I am definitely one of those artists who doesn't really love looking back at my old works.I think my work is there to be adored by others, not by me, the artist.
What projects are the most significant for you in your work and why? or can you tell the top 3?
I have been lucky to be involved in some great projects and collaborations so far in my career. In terms of significance for me would be my collaboration with LOQI, mainly just because of the reach it got. The bags were available in some of my most favourite gallery spaces.
I have worked on some really fun campaigns too. Bally commissioned me to create 3 pieces too, that was fun. I collaborated with Montreal based clothing company Le cartel to create a whole collection of clothing. I also really enjoyed working with Melbourne Theatre company. For the first time in the company’s history, Melbourne Theatre company commissioned a series of illustrations for their annual brochure. That almost felt like a privilege in itself.
Could you tell us about the current trends in illustration? What changes over time in your opinion?
I think the goal posts of trends are constantly shifting, this is what makes the industry both challenging and interesting at the same time. To be honest, I don't think I could identify the current trends as such but I know that we as artists have to keep evolving to be a part of this cycle.The fun thing about art though is its such a subjective subject so in turn there will always be an audience for your work, past and present.
So now we'd like to talk about collaboration with our brand. What was your reaction when HVILINA wrote to you with a proposal for cooperation? Have you heard about our brand before?
I hadn't really heard of Hvilina before they reached out to me, but once as I read up more on the brand I was instantly impressed by your beautiful products. It felt like such a privilege to be able to collaborate on such a prestigious product too. Lucky me.
Were you familiar with the Ukrainian artist Aleksandr Murashko and his paintings? What can you say about his work and the paintings that we have chosen for the collection?
I was familiar with Murashko’s work alright, I had seen his paintings pop up before on some occasions. But this did also give me the chance to discover his works more and deep dive into details. His paintings are simply stunning, not only does he capture the essence of life, he captures a time period like no other artists. The expressive nature of the character combined with his colour palettes really makes his work unique.
Could you tell us how you worked with such a task? Have you already had a similar work experience?
This experience was a first for me. I had never had the chance to try and re-work other artists' work in such a fashion. It was a great experience to be honest. It was also terrifying as I knew my work could never come close to his and I never wanted to offend his work either through the form of imitation. I definitely tried my best to still honour his work while remaining through to my style as best I could.
What message would you like to convey through this collaboration, if any?
I think I would just like to honour Murashko’s work and hope that my work was justified sitting next to him. I am truly grateful for such a collaboration. So I hope that makes others happy seeing his work being brought into a fresher light perhaps.
How do you like cooperation with HVILINA? What were your emotions when you saw the renders of the watch?
It was such a great experience. The production from the get go was professional and very inclusive. I was always allowed to be myself as an artist, which to me is important. The beautiful product is ust he icing on the cake. To be honest, I'm a little blown away by the standard of quality. The art and product work so well together, as they should.
