Lou Romano

It’s been a while since I last posted to my blog and to break the silence I’d like to continue looking at some of my favorite artists and designers.

This time its the turn of Lou Romano.

Lou Romano works at Pixar Animation Studio’s as a voice actor and production assistant. If you’ve never heard of Lou its not surprising, like a lot of industries its the final product which most people see rather than the work ‘behind the scenes’.

Having graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 1992 he’s worked mostly as an an art director for Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls. Arguably two of the most influential modern children’s cartoons.

However what attracts me to Lou’s work isn’t the fact that it looks modern its that retro edge mixed with an almost childish innocence which gives it a unique charm. Its a notable homage to the works of many other artists who worked at Disney during the 1960’s, in particular Mary Blair who created the ‘Its A Small World’ ride.

I first discovered Lou in a compilation book of Pixar production artwork. Normally shy away from any artwork which has harsh geometric lines. I’m not the sort of person who enjoys cubism or Picasso but the charm of Lou’s work really captured my imagination.

Another distinctive technique in Lou’s work is the depth of vibrant colours and the rendering of shadows. Its that use of light which makes many of his more serious adult works appear sinister or even sombre.

Even without colour theres a dynamic graphic look to his work which is highlighted through the detail of black and white – the balance between the positive and negative space.

Lou’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and at The Metropolitan Opera in New York along with being published on the cover of The New Yorker.

You can see more of Lou’s work over at his blog.

I realise that the last two entries I’ve posted in this series are about living artists, next time I may take a look at one of my favorite artists from the past.

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