Joe McKenna is an illustrator and painter based in Nottingham. He graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Derby. Since graduating, his practice has focused on uncovering forms from non-traditional surfaces like banknotes and maps. Using a surface that already has its own imagery emancipates the artist from having to fill the blank, empty space of a traditional canvas. In Joe’s previous work, sailing maps of Sweden have been repurposed.

 

By using organic features in the maps such as markers and index grids, he transforms the two dimensional into three dimensional. The original features of the map are transformed into evocative spaces. Flat descriptions are reimagined as twisting, climbing clouds with hints of a metropolis behind.

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For To Form, to Follow Joe has created 'Fata Morgana'. This is a new work styled from a hydrographic chart of the Thames Estuary. The title is taken from a form of water based mirage which can create illusions of floating cities. In folklore these false images have been said to be the work of witchcraft designed to lure people to their death.  He uses the sandbanks, hidden hazards and tide lines to create his latest stunning landscape.

 

To find more of Joe McKenna’s work visit his Instagram.