Artist Spotlight - Souther Salazar

For my amazing internship, I was doing a little research and I came across Souther Salazar. It was love at first sight! The designs are complex yet simple and colorful but not so colorful that they're overwhelming. Salazar's work combines dream-like atmospheres with the feeling the childlike fascination. I remember looking at Where's Waldo pictures long after I had found Waldo, just to observe what all of the other crazy people where doing within Waldoworld. I sort of have the same feeling about Salazar's pieces, I just want to keep looking at them and discovering their secrets! There are more secrets to discover after the jump!

Crashlander

Souther Salazar was born in 1978 in Hayward, CA. In the early 1990s, as a teenager in rural Oakdale, Salazar made photocopied cut-and-paste mini-comics and ‘zines. After graduating from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, he moved to Los Angeles where he lived and worked for ten years before re-locating to Portland OR, where he is currently based. You can observe in "Crashlander" above, some collage work within the painted parts. I'm really enjoying the combination of natural textures (the sticks and tree branches) along with the saturated paints. 

You and Me and the Mouse and the Moon

That one above is one of my favorites by him (although, as I'm looking at them all more, I just want to live in them) I emailed him to ask him a few questions about his process, but he's got a show coming up; so I expect he's pretty busy right now.  I was able to poke around on his blog and discover some of his inspirations and one of his heroes, Mr. Emberly, an author who wrote drawing books for children. 

Hope you guys enjoyed Souther Salazar's utopic imagination as much as I did. Check out some more of his work here.