Gilles Rainville illustration

The creation of life is a miracle every creature experiences. From plants, to insects, to animals, to us, this cycle is inevitable and beautiful. Embryo is a representation of the interconnectivity and interdependance of life within nature.  This design was inspired by my previous work In Utero  https://gillesrainville.blogspot.com/2017/05/cycle-in-utero.html Enjoy! The term Mama Bear, for me, has always meant a mother at her most caring, protective and fearsome. That's why I chose grizzly bears as my subject. The roots were chosen as a symbol for the interconnectivety of life that surrounds us all.   I started by doing a quick sketch of my idea. Here are the photos I referenced for this piece. After choosing my references, my design changed. I probably should have drawn a new sketch but instead I dove right into the piece. I started by gesturing in the basic forms, making sure that I had the right ...

Natural disasters have become more prevalent in recent years. We hear of the human cost and cause, but rarely do we understand what cost the rest of nature (animal, plant, insect) pays for disasters which, while are not produced by our species, are certainly encouraged and bolstered by the choices of individuals, companies, industries, and governments.  Manufactured Consequences is the first piece where I attempt to include the viewer as part  of the composition. This is why every animal is staring directly at the viewer. Nature itself is trying to tell you who caused the unfortunate forest fire. Once again, I began the process by researching the elements for this piece. Next, I sketched out the concept I had in mind and created a tonal study. This helped me visualize the idea in my head and solved the bigger composition issues, like focal points, perspective, arrangements and importance of the elements for the viewer.  Once happy with...

As part of the Cycle series, the chosen pieces were designed to represent three cycles that effect nature. The first was Life and Death. The second was Respect and Responsibility. Desintegration is part of the third, which is Cause and Effect. Climate change is effecting nature in ways that could have a catastrophic effect on our species. Sir David says we face "irreversible damage to the natural world and the collapse of our societies". from the BBC article:  Climate change: Sir David Attenborough warns of 'catastrophe' Ironically, in large part, we are the cause. "... there is a strong, credible body of evidence, based on multiple lines of research, documenting that climate is changing and that these changes are in large part caused by human activities. While much remains to be learned, the core phenomenon, scientific questions, and hypotheses have been examined thoroughly and have stood firm in the face of serious scientific debate and careful ev...

"Mother Nature is the  personification  of  nature  that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it, in the form of the  mother .", Wikipedia. Mother Nature, Earth-Mother, Gaia, Mama Pacha were all symbols of the connection human culture has had with nature. As a reminder of this connection, I wanted to show human anatomy made of our natural world. Mother's Anatomy is meant to remind us of how much we must also care and nurture nature to reciprocate everything it gives us. Finding reference material of every element in the composition is an important step. Without reference, I could not possibly know every small realistic detail that I wish to include to give each piece the quality it deserves. Here are the images I used for reference. Looking at these photos, I decided to draw some rough sketches to plan out my composition. I am sorry to say that I do not ha...