DONALD VAN SCHILT
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As a boy drawing was my favorite thing to do. It has remained that way throughout my childhood. I always knew that this was my way to earn a living.
After studying graphic design in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), I started working as a graphic designer at multiple design agencies. In 2005 my own design agency was born. Five years later I began creating art in addition to the graphic design work. The trigger for this was my father.
My father had just retired and wanted to fill his extra free time with painting. He followed a course where he mainly learned to be creative. The work that ensued appealed to me, but what appealed to me even more was the fact that it was not about the end result, but about the process. His art regularly appeared online and when I complimented him on that, he told me that he had already painted something completely new over it. This triggered me. I was always used to working towards an end result. The process was simply a path that you had to follow. It was then that I made my first artwork. A digital collage of edited and coarsely screened images combined with abstract textures and materials.
The big difference with the graphic work that I made until then was that I now did not have to take into account a target group, message and corporate identity. Complete freedom in creativity. I liked that.
It was in the summer of 2010 that I posted my first collage on Facebook. The next morning I was called by an art gallery who wanted to know more about my work, what the price was and if there was more. This was my motivation to start making more art
KEY THEMES
V8 muscle cars, typography, tattoos and icons from the past are the most important topics that speak to me. This is reflected in my art in which a combination of different images and materials form a semi-abstract composition. My collages are characterized by a raw “urban” appearance and the use of various materials such as paper, cardboard and wood give it an authentic character.
ARTISTIC APPROACH
I use Photoshop as the basis for my work. Image material is digitally edited and merged into the right composition. For the final implementation I use techniques such as print, graffiti, screen printing and acrylic on cardboard and canvas.
My art is therefore best described as mixed media collages.
AUGMENTED REALITY
In 2020 I started experimenting with augmented reality (AR). In this way I can give the layers in my collage style more depth and thus give the viewer the opportunity to discover more. You can virtually look between the different layers. In addition, audio and video can also be added via AR. All the viewer needs is a smartphone. The app you need to view my work with AR, Artivive, is free to download for iPhone and Android.
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