Alex Eckman-Lawn creates multi-layered, hand-cut, paper collages using everything from his original digital paintings to imagery from old medical texts. Each layer is spaced, creating a depth that draws the viewer into the pieces. The result has an air of mystique about it — a good kind of eeriness that draws the viewer in.
Like most collage artists, Eckman-Lawn’s process is messy, changing depending on the project itself. “Sometimes I have a clear idea in my head (like The Secret for example),” said the Philadelphia born illustrator in an interview with Beautiful Bizarre, “and then it’s just a matter of finding the right images or painting what I need until it looks right. That can be really painstaking but occasionally it all just comes together cleanly.”
He explains that he has folders and folders full of amazing finds for his future collage work. “Sometimes I have to drop whatever I’m doing and start working right away if I find something too perfect to ignore,” he notes. “That feeling is just the best, and a good way to describe the act of collage in general. It’s like being a curator and a designer and an artist all at once.”
So far, Eckman-Lawn’s work has appeared in comic books, on album covers, book covers, T-shirts, music videos, newspapers, and posters. “I do feel very lucky that I get to make art for a living, and on days where it feels hard, I like to remind myself how much I’d rather do this than anything else,” he says.
We recommend you follow his work on Instagram.
