French artist Isaac Bonan uses a variety of mediums to illustrate his subjects, including watercolor, acrylic, pencils and markers. Somehow he manages to capture the unique essence and beauty in each face or object. I particularly love his portrayal of eyes.
ACL: How did you become interested in painting?
IB: As
far as I remember, I've always liked drawing and painting. It was
natural and could not conceive to do anything else. I realized that
only physical contact with the traditional equipment can give me real
feelings.
ACL: How did you develop your style?
IB: I try to eliminate
the maximum of elements, to de-construct in order to highlight what seems
important to me like, eyes, lips or hair. I like when negative and positive
spaces compete together on the paper in order to show a balance. But what I try
to highlight the most is the eyes expressions because they can reflect
emotions. Therefore, I mostly use watercolor pencils and colored inks because
they allow a particularly bright result, they give a certain freshness and
lightness to the piece, plus they naturally create shapes and colors I hadn't
planned! My artistic work and style aims to generate emotion and beauty.
ACL: What inspires you?
IB: Many sources inspire me everyday: all medias (magazines, books). Colors
and music can touch me. Sometimes, the nature of a shade can suggest ideas to
me. Generally, I make my environment a jumble of ideas: I seek the detail that
will form, bring something, and sublime my work.
ACL: Who are your favorite artists?
IB: Artists such as Raymond Moretti, Rene
Gruau and Georges Mathieu, the dynamism and the timelessness of their
work inspire me a lot.
I also admire David Downton for the relevance of his work.
ACL: What would your dream future project be?
IB: I
would love to collaborate with great stylists to draw their
collections.
Thank you, Isaac, for sharing your story and your art.
For more information about the artist and to see more of his work, please visit his website.
