Carles García O'Dowd — Cosmic Surrealism Illustrator, New York

Wild and lurid cosmic surrealism grabs the viewer’s attention and won’t let go in the evocative artwork of the New York-based illustrator Carles García O’Dowd. With an imagination that knows no bounds, and every line meticulously drawn by hand, he uses his astounding talent to highlight the issues facing the modern world through vibrant, hard-hitting imagery.

Versatile and experienced, Carles delights his clients with his original ideas and dedication to his craft. He speaks six languages, has travelled throughout Europe and North America, and draws from an eclectic well of influences from Manga through to Ursula K Le Guin, and from cyberpunk to Roman and Mayan architecture. When you look at one of his illustrations, it’s impossible to look away without inspecting the intricate detail and falling into the deeper narrative and the message behind the creation. He has an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Barcelona.

Approach

Each image begins with a flurry of ideas, jotted down in an elaborate mind map of key words and doodles before the first sketches and compositions begin to form. Carles inks most of his images by hand then uses screenprinting techniques to colour his images, both of which show through in the finished aesthetic.

Style

Bold, vivid, exciting – Carles works in a cartoony, counterculture style with a strong activist vibe running through it.

Languages

Carles speaks English, Spanish, Catalan, French, German and Italian.

Awards

2021 – Fulbright Art Studies Scholarship 2007 – Rei en Jaume Comic Prize, Spain – First Prize

Client list

His clients include the University of the Balearic Islands, Spanish Ministry of Culture, The New Yorker and Estrella Dram.

Intricate time machine with glowing tubes and mechanical parts by Carles Garcia O'Dowd

Carles Garcia O'Dowd