The optical illusion paintings by self-taught artist Mad King are so convincingly three-dimensional that they appear to pop off of your screen. Using metallic paints and multiple sheens of poly-acrylic sealer, the artist’s work is truly mind-bending. He starts by mapping out geometric shapes and repeat patterns, carefully positioning every element so as to successfully build a convincing illusion. Afterwards, he layers birds, fish, and other living things on top and within the background. It’s hard to believe that these images are actually on two-dimensional surfaces as they grace table tops, walls, and panels of wood.
Mad King feels an intimate connection between the creation and meaning of his art. To him, he can fix what’s wrong in his life by producing something brand new. The artist’s website explains, “His relationship to the creation of his art is that of a working meditation where he is transcending the more limiting patterns of his own life by reshaping the abstract representations of those patterns in his compositions.”
The novelty of the optical illusions makes Mad King’s work popular among collectors. They love that when viewed in natural light, the complexity of his images reveal their nuances when taken in over the course of the day. Additionally, you can’t help but appreciate the heart-warming earnestness of his pursuits. “There is something that I tell all of my collectors in the deepest of sincerity and that is ‘owning original work will change your life’, the making of it has changed mine… everyday.”
Mad King Facebook page and website
via [Visual News]