Bio: 

Since 2012 Alaric’s portrayed hand-drawn illustrations in geometric forms that have been influenced by something he finds fascinating in the world; such as tribal symbols, ancient alphabets, symbols of belief and the beauty of the natural world. Alaric feels art should be aesthetically pleasing and also convey deeper thought.

Artist Statement: 

My artwork is geometric, informative, flamboyant, playful and direct. I use my knowledge and research of the world by creating visuals that have roots in semiotics. Creating art that is eye-pleasing and thought-provoking is something I find inherent. I find art is something that should excite us, not just through sight but also with mind. I toy with the idea of perfection in the technological era by creating pieces with my hands. This can be a difficult challenge at times as there can be moments where I want to erase all pencil marks, or rid the process of the finished drawing. However, this is a personal challenge and one that reminds myself and the viewer that perfect ideals can still portray machine-like qualities even when done by hand.

Melanocyte:

For a while now I’ve wanted to draw something about melanin. Every time I research anatomy I notice that humans are mostly only portrayed with caucasian skin. I find this so weird. It’s examples like this that erase black people and people of colour from society and I find that so problematic. I wanted to be sensitive with how I approached this illustration. I didn’t want to be the white boy from England jumping onto the “trend” of BLM. I felt as if drawing a melanocyte, which is the cell that produces melanin, would be a good way for white folk to understand variations of skin colour and why. Melanocytes are melanin-producing neural crest-derived cells located in the bottom layer of the skin’s epidermis, the middle layer of the eye, the inner ear, vaginal epithelium, meninges, bones, and heart. Melanin is a dark pigment primarily responsible for skin colour.