Breed – Steven Wilson’s favourite project
Personal best – Steven Wilson
The latest in a new series where we ask Breed artists to select a piece or project of their own that holds a special meaning for them. It may not necessarily be the most successful or even their favourite, simply one that stands out for them as important in some way. We’re intrigued to see the choices made and the stories they may lead to.
Steven Wilson is up next. Steven produces an extraordinary diversity of work from his Brighton studio, ranging from the most perfectly symmetrical graphic design in print to digital animations of shifting, seemingly liquid forms to op and pop art style portraits and imagery. So, what will Steven choose?
What piece have you chosen?
Willie Nelson.
Why is it special to you?
I’ve always really enjoyed doing music work. I’ve always seen my approach as one of a problem solver and the challenge
when working on music jobs is trying to find a balance between my work and aesthetic and something that fits with the artist I am creating for. I’ve been lucky to work for all kinds of musicians from all sorts of genres and that has often forced me to take my work into new areas. Willie Nelson is from the country music genre and so not typically high up in my musical taste as someone from the UK. Having said that, I was really happy to work on it as there is something of the renegade spirit about him. And the iconography and Americana that is associated with the genre and him, in particular, was a great jumping-off point from a visual point of view.
What’s the story behind it?
At the time of creating the piece I was really interested in creating visual hierarchy in my drawings. The basic premise is there are lots of elements pieced together in such a way that you notice different things the longer you spend with it. There are the things you notice initially, but then, on further inspection, you see secondary elements that delve deeper into the story. In this particular piece the American flags help to create the eagle wings, but ,additionally, hidden within the design are various elements associated with Nelson’s Native American ancestry.
How did you come to create this piece?
I’ve created a large number of tour posters in the last 10 years through a company called Another Planet Entertainment. I love doing them because I have a lot of freedom regarding the approach and it’s on me to direct myself and find the right look and feel for the artist. Over the years I have worked on everything from EDM artists, bands, and DJs to solo artists from the industry such as Robert Plant and Willie Nelson.
