Maria Ramos is an illustrator artist currently pursuing a B.F.A degree in illustration with a certification in Art Education at New Jersey City University. She makes work for her own pleasure. Her themes are based around dark and macabre aesthetics. Her work shows her appreciation to the darker things in life and does her best to bring out the beauty aspects of it. Her work blends in everyday life with unexpected notions that makes you stop and look twice. These two works have a distinct cohesive style that feels, modern, clean, and a bit cheeky.
Edward McGowan
"American Dream" 10x10 Illustrator
"American Dream"
At first glance, "American dream" look like a vintage scene with a mother and daughter out for a stroll and window shopping. They're dressed in soft pastels and have perfect posture which would be considered the appearance of a wealthier class. Then you notice the shop window has a coffin with a sale sign and flowers surrounding it and it gives it a sense of a high-end item. Such as a handbag or fancy piece of furniture. It has a contrast of playful and unsettling nature. The young girl pointing towards the object gives the sense of a child begging for a new toy and forgetting her previous joy which would have been the ice cream that is now melting in her hand. This piece feels as though its poking fun at the consumerism and allowing for the audience to visualize the affect is has on us as a society. The 1950s aesthetic was clever because of the fact that its a time known for its obsession on appearance, money, and conformity. I love the vintage feel of this work and it made me question what it could possibly mean when I first saw it.
"Cozy Cozy Cozy" 11x6 Illustrator
"Cozy Cozy Cozy"
This peace is a more intimate space showing the day-to-day life of a young woman. The three scenes representing the three times of day and what goes on in the life of this young artist. This piece gives the viewer a moment to relate to the life of an artist or gamer or someone who loves to spend time with animals. The use of soft color palette allows for you to feel calm and it almost feels intentional. The middle panel shows her working in a traditional art style while in the last panel it shows her in a more dark room with two monitors. This shows how artistic life today can often exist in physical and digital space. This piece definitely allowed me to relate because it's similar to my day-to-day. so the sense of familiarity was comforting.
Edward McGowan
Marias work reminds me of Edward McGowan. Edward is an illustrator based in Sydney. His works evoke story telling and uses a vintage like style similar to Maria. Although the aesthetics are different I feel like the messages relate to each other. They both also use 2D and 3D illustrative elements.
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