HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
“The sole intention of my art is to connect the viewer back to nature.”
MARC WHITELAW HAS HIS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, LITERALLY. Clouds are the focus of much of his work, which seeks to blend the real with the surreal and create a paradox by rendering digital art into something as close to real nature as he can.
Marc has a keen eye for realism and a huge love for surrealism. Finding a balance of both is where the sweet spot lies in his art. Like the clouds in his art, his knowledge and skills are constantly evolving.
From his humble South African roots, Marc moved to Vancouver over a decade ago to pursue his love for digital art and has never looked back. He graduated, with honors, from a one-year intensive course in 3d animation and visual effects and since then has amassed over 30 international film and digital production credits to his name. He is currently a senior artist for Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic.
He started by posting his personal artwork on Instagram and soon became friends with Kristian Levin (a.k.a. @noCreative), who invited him to Discord. “And then it all clicked; I got chatting with the people in the Discord and became hooked. I slowly started to figure out that NFTs were basically the answer to everything I’ve ever wanted as an artist,” Marc remembers.
Marc attributes his own entry into NFTs to Kristian, who has onboarded many artists. The first piece he minted was a collaboration with Kristian and was released on Makersplace in 2021.
Clouds have become a central focus in his art, and he plans to add his own twist on traditional landscape work. His vision extends 10 to 15 years in the future, and one day hopes to merge the digital and physical world with the help of holographic technology.
“By then, I’ll be able to realize and create artwork that goes beyond the realms of our perception,” he says.
On nature versus how Marc has chosen to visualize it using digital art, he says: “The sole intention with my art is to help connect the viewer back to nature. It’s quite funny because you’re looking at art intended to connect you back to nature but on a digital screen. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.”
