Illustrator and designer Lisa Ericson has a series of paintings that bring a whole new meaning to the term “rats with wings.” Despite the grotesque visual that term may leave you picturing in your mind, her fictional creatures are sure to leave a much more pleasant impression, as the talented artist suspends reality to combine adorable mice with ephemeral butterfly wings. Her mouse-butterfly hybrids explore imaginary environments, peeping out along the ground and selecting tiny treasures all while looking so realistic that they could just be a new species caught on camera.
Ericson’s Mouserflies are endearing depictions that balance humor and technical talent to offer a pleasing twist on what could otherwise be mundane normality. Her images are rich in small details that actually serve to complete the compositions: a littered can becomes a perch for a tiny friend, a mushroom is re-purposed into a throne for one of her pets. Floating through the sky, the mouserflies gently pause reality to bring a smile to one’s face.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Ericson focuses on adorable hybrids in nature and vivid, clean animation as key elements in her imaginative portfolio. She studied painting at Yale before going on to a successful career in illustration and graphic design. Now she brings forward great technical skill and applies it to vibrant, creative concepts to form surprising and unique artwork.
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via [Antler Gallery]