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Hi SALTANA.K at St. Xavier's
Gunnedah
When you were a boy like Luke, were you allowed to be
creative?
Yes I was, mainly because my mum was an artist, so she taught
me how to draw. That was when I was really little. As I got older however,
through senior primary, and then high school, there were all sorts of pressures
on me to do other things, and I tried to push down my own creativity, which
was REALLY STUPID. I think that if anyone has very strong creative urges,
then that is what they ought to be encouraged to explore.
Do your illustrations usually contain abstract
ideas?
Wow, what a great question!
I like, if I have
the opportunity - as I did in 'Luke's Way of Looking' - to explore visually
abstract ideas, such as the abstract painting ideas which appear in this book. I
also love to see if I can convey abstract ideas, such as the importance
of freedom of expression, which for me is what 'Luke's Way of Looking' is all
about. I do this through the use of motifs and symbolism. In the illustration
where Mr B has torn Luke's painting, and broken his brushes ('When Mr B saw what
Luke had done, he went ballistic,......) I have tried to show how overpowering
Mr B is by leaning Luke's shadow submissively into Mr B's shadow which is huge
and dominating. I guess you could say that is abstracting reality slightly to
express an idea.
Thanks for your wonderful questions,
Matt
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