A clinical psychologist by day, Cyril Rolando spends his free time creating beautifully surreal art like this. Back in 2003, using just a mouse and a simple drawing program, he taught himself how to digitally paint. “I had never drawn before,” he says. “But in 2003, when I was 18, I began using Oekaki, a website that allows you to paint using only a mouse. After two months of experimenting with techniques and Manga style works, I began trying out different colors and I stopped using solid lines. As time went on, I realized that using only a mouse and Oekaki was limiting. After nearly a year, I began using Photoshop and bought a Wacom tablet. This allowed me to reproduce photos, all while experimenting with colors and tools. Studying psychology at the time, I needed an outlet, a way to express myself, to exist, to create something, to dream a little, to play with colors. For me creating was personal, I wasn’t studying art. I wanted to create my own universes and tell stories, like in video games or how Tim Burton does.”
Over the course of 10 years, the artist’s style evolved and changed until it became all his own. Now, one can easily recognize a Cyril Rolando piece for its extraordinary colors, soft textures, and imaginative details.
Cyril openly states that artists like Tim Burton and Hayao Miyazaki influence his work, saying that they “are both the roots of my own world.” Indeed, you can feel a presence of both figures in Cyril’s magical pieces.
Art shop Curioos has just launched Cyril Rolando’s new series. You can find many of his prints now available for sale in their shop. Time to scoop one up. (The one above is titled Save Our Souls.)
Blowing Bubbles
Katharsis
Calypso
Le Pianoquarium
Dandelions
You Belong to Me
Follow Our Rules
A Painting as a Door