Sunderø Gallery proudly present new artist Frode Skaren. The gifted illustrator started his one-man company Uglylogo while still studying Visual Communication at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Now he´s moved back to his hometown of Kvinesdal and works from his studio in an old barn.
Skaren is known for his charming characters and funny illustrations. His motives are often based on real people. He likes to use humour in in his works and try to hit the interest of both children and adults. Still, his drawings are not without edge. Just take a look at the seemingly innocent and cosy “Klem” (Hug), and you´ll see what we mean.
The works of Skarens has been featured in national newspapers like Morgenbladet, Aftenposten and VG, and international magazines such as Monocle, The Wire, Computer Arts, Businessweek, and Little White Lies, and even on the cover of Creative Review. He´s a widely recognized illustrator, and have had commissions from Luxus Leverpostei, By:Larm Visuelt and Illegal Burger. Just to mention some.
The artist does not consider making illustrations and art as a mere job. It would be more correct to describe it as his identity. Skaren has an incredible urge to create, or fix a problem through visual aids.
Skaren spends very long time on ideas and on how to transform it to a drawing, reflecting on various compositions and characters before he arrives at a solution he likes. When he finally draws it, he often needs to draw only one sketch.
Frode Skaren draws with pen on paper. He is a strong believer in using ink or markers on real good paper instead of drawing digitally. This process probably takes more time, but he loves to create something that he knows is genuine and physical, as there is only one copy of. That’s probably also why he enjoys working with a silkscreen printing technique where each print becomes a unique piece of art.
Skaren finds the process of silkscreen printing awesome: He alone has complete control over the entire process from idea and drawing, to the selection of colours and the press. He also choose the quality of the paper and how many to print. For him it is a challenge to have control of the whole process. This way the result becomes incredibly rewarding for him as an artist.
Sunderø Gallery welcome Frode Skaren, and hope you will love his works as much as we do!
