When looking at Patrick Willem’s artwork, it reminded me of two well-known artists: Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo. The longer I looked at his diverse photomontages, the more I seemed to dive into a world of fashion and fantasy. Pop art, colors, shadows and a meticulous mixture of nature and human faces make his work stand out as an avant-garde artist.
The young illustrator from Belgium completed his degree in creative advertising at the Academy of Beaux Arts in Belgium and pretty soon after that pursued his passion for fashion illustration as a freelancer. “I have always been passionate about fashion and very soon realized that my strongest talent laid in illustration. Combining these two passions of mine felt very natural to me”, he says.
Inspired by Andy Warhol and famous photographers such as Nick Knight and Paolo Roversi, Willem describes his process of brain storming ideas like this: “My surroundings influence my way of thinking. I have a distinct image flashing through my mind and I have a vision of the end product, before I start working on it, using thumbnails or croquis. I won’t stop fine-tuning, until I am completely satisfied with the aesthetics of every image.”
Collaborating with other artists, such as infamous make-up artist Yasmin Heinz, gave him the opportunity to appear in her beauty book and a number of fashion magazines in the United States. He has been very active in the textile print industry and as a fashion-illustrating instructor, collaborating with agencies in New York, Washington, Hawaii, India and Berlin.
As for future plans, he is working on projects for magazines and small businesses, while continuing to promote his personal work on his social media platforms and his website. “I am hoping to be able to contribute to and influence trends trough my artistic work and inspire fellow artists to follow suit”, says the humble artist. His talents and capabilities are sublime and his creations are easily recognizable – I am sure we will hear a lot more of Patrick Willem soon.
If you want to know more about the Belgian illustrator, check out his website and the following links:
My sincere ThankYou to Patrick for creating this piece of art for me:-)