Naomi Amber Dawn’s mesmerizing digital collage work immediately captured our attention with its ethereal, dreamlike imagery.
A photographer by trade, Naomi took her childhood love of collaging to photoshop where she began crafting the surreal scenes that will adorn our walls for the next month. The collection debuts Thursday 4.8.21 during West Seattle Art Walk.
Enchanting flower fields, intergalactic skylines, orcas among the clouds, and magical, majestic mountains are just a few of the subjects explored in the show. It truly is the stuff of dreams and colorful imaginations and will be available to view in-store and online through the first week of May (full collection here).
How would you describe what you make?
I create surreal and other-worldly digital collages!
What drew you to this medium and style of work?
Ever since I was little, I loved to collage. The walls in my room as a kid were covered with random magazine photos that I collaged. I would spend hours cutting up photos, collaging on everything, and scrapbooking. I am also a photographer and editing is one of my favorite parts of the process. By trying to become better at photoshop, I started messing around with collaging some photos I took while hiking. This turned into me eventually searching for free stock photos to collage with my own and creating my own little surreal worlds!
Can you tell us about your favorite piece in the current collection?
My favorite piece in the current collection is probably Tulip Daydream. I love tulips and I really like how bright the colors are. I feel really happy and peaceful whenever I look at it.
If you could collaborate with anyone (living or not), who would it be and why?
Van Gogh is my favorite artist. I remember visiting the Van Gogh museum a few years ago in Amsterdam, and it was so surreal and beautiful, that I cried! My favorite painting from him would either be Almond Blossoms or Sunflowers. I love how colorful a lot of his paintings are, and he inspires me to use a lot of color in my art as well!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The best advice I’ve been given is to not compare myself to other people. It’s really easy to get bogged down when you aren’t seeing any success with your art when other people are. Trust the process and don’t forget why you started creating in the first place!
Can you describe your favorite part of the process in your work?
I love it when I see something and feel instantly inspired, like a photo or something out in nature. It’s really fun to see where my imagination can take me when I add in these new photos and ideas to the collection of photos I already have. It’s exciting to see a collage in my mind and bring it to life!
When you are in the studio, what are you listening to?
Still Woozy! He’s my favorite. I also really like Lorem (a Spotify playlist) or Lo Fi hip hop!
What is your most treasured handmade possession?
I got a pasta maker a couple of years ago, and this may not really qualify as a handmade possession, but I would have to say homemade pasta! Cooking is very special to me, and it is an artform in itself. Food brings people together and I have so many fun memories surrounding my pasta machine and making different homemade noodles and ravioli with friends and loved ones.
