Stories In Digital Colour – Gene

In as much as art is open to subjective interpretation, I have a fondness for descriptive work that draws attention and is easy to understand and even relate to. Eugene Odogwu’s art not only draws attention with vivid colors, but tells thought-provoking stories you don’t have to spend hours trying to decipher. Of course, it doesn’t come as much as a surprise because Eugene isn’t just a gifted artist, but a writer who translates his stories to art.

Golden Glee

Eugene Odogwu is a creative with an inclination for the colorful and descriptive. In addition to having an educational background in Mechanical Engineering, he is a writer, graphic designer and digital artist. A consistent theme noticeable in his work is the vividness with which he expresses his creativity. Eugene’s paintings have been described over time as vivid, trippy, and even psychedelic. Some have also referred to his art as expressive, weird, unusual, and colorful.  Looking at Eugene’s work, it’s no wonder why these are the choice terms for description.

Essentially, Eugene’s art is inspired by the evocative. According to him, it could be a face, a motion, a scene or an object; if it brings any strong feeling or images to mind, it translates well into colors and, ultimately, art. Eugene’s art is largely influenced by the relationship of colors and theme. A certain subject or expression or scenery might create a moody or melancholic theme and the resulting art would be resplendent with hues of blues and dark tones. In the same vein, a painting may depict the passage of time with reds and oranges and all the colors of dusk to portray the end of an event.

Sixth Harmony

Speaking on his process, Eugene says “There is a direct and not so subtle relationship between the emotional undertones of a concept and my color palette”. Typically, Eugene’s work begins with composition; deciding which element of the piece goes where till he has created the conceptual foundation. Once the concept is decided, he picks out a color palette – from shadows to midtones to highlights. This palette is usually limited to three or four colors. With concept and color palette ready, Eugene then begins his piece, layering the colors from the bottom up until he achieves the intended “feel”. Currently, Eugene’s creation process is primarily digital and can be printed on canvas depending on the art, request or commission.

Suck My Heart Out

If you’d like to see more of Eugen’s work, you can check out his Instagram feed at @designedbygene or his blog – indigeneousblog.wordpress.com. Some of his writing has featured on sites such as Brittlepaper and a collection of his African Fantasy stories is scheduled for release later this year.