Home on the Range - Desktopography

This is my Desktopography 2020 submission. I've called it "Home on the Range", and you can download it in a bunch of different resolutions, including 4K if you are so inclined!
https://desktopography.net/portfolios/home-on-the-range/

Ok. So, during quarantine, I've been playing a LOT of Red Dead Redemption 2...

I think there was some subconscious persuasion to create a western-styled piece. The whole epic-western-landscape aesthetic has been burnt into my retinas as I log countless hours making my way through the game.

I'm fortunate enough to live in Alberta, a place that would have been considered the wild west back in the day, and these are the kind of views right outside my back door. There are sprawling prairies, badlands, the epic Rocky Mountains, and of course, plenty of amazing wildlife to stand in awe of.

I see this piece as a celebration of Alberta's natural splendor. Or something like that.

How it was made

Because I tend to prefer a clean, de-cluttered desktop for my own work-space, I chose to really emphasize the focal point in the middle of the screen, with a lot of white space framing it. This way, there is plenty of room for people's icons to be positioned within the white space, and the bulk of the artwork can remain as unobstructed as possible.

Beginning with a clean background, I just started laying elements down, starting with the bison, and the rest kind of just came together organically as a photo-manipulation that riffs on the idea of a double-exposure photograph, with some more surreal/creative elements. It's a bit minimalist in it's execution, and I'm pretty happy with that.

As with most of the pieces I make for art's sake, I've hidden a man and a dog within the piece. This is something I've been doing on and off for years which holds a certain personal significance, and also acts a bit of a binding agent between my other pieces. It also allows people familiar with this aspect of my work to take a more active role, by deliberately seeking them out.

Desktopography revived

I was very happy to be invited back to participate in Desktopography's 2020 exhibition. It's something I've looked forward to every year since the very start, both as long-time fan, and recently, a contributor. In 2018, Pete Harrison, the director of the Desktopography announced that the project would be indefinitely shelved it, and I just assumed that was the end. I was both surprised and excited to see that not only would there be a 2020 exhibition, but I was again invited to contribute.

If you don't know, the Desktopography project began in 2005 as a curated collection of nature / topological themed wallpapers created by selected designers. The wallpapers can be downloaded in a variety of sizes and resolutions, and the contributions are always mindblowing. Do yourself a favour and check it out!