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About Me
My name is Rowan Hoerner. I'm an illustrator with a major in Graphic Design from Whitworth University. Why I enjoy experimenting with many mediums and styles, I lean towards a simplistic, cartoony style of art focused on creating unique characters with emotive expressions.
Some of my most notable works include Participating in Terrain 2023, Spokane's largest community art exhibit, as well as selling artwork at Terrain: Bazaar. I have exhibited my work in the Bryan Oliver gallery twice, painted a mural in downtown Spokane, and made promotional art for the band Sunny Day Real Estate.
I don’t have a favorite color. How could I choose? Why limit oneself when there is such a wide range of feelings, moods and expressions one can depict through color choice. This ties into my goal as a designer: I’m a jack of all trades on the second-dimensional plane, being able to whip up eye-catching creations digitally and with pen and paper or brush.
That’s not to say color isn’t important in art creation – quite the opposite. For each one of my works, the first thing I do is pick one to three colors to center the composition around. This helps me plan out the overall feeling or message I want the piece to convey to my audience.
In this way, I’m creating art in a similar fashion to Matisse and Cassandre, both of whom created art that reflects the importance of colors influencing the mood of the viewer, which I strive to do myself.
While I’m still exploring and finding my artistic style as an art student, I’ve always had a fondness for simple shapes and cartoon-y art styles. While I no longer regularly read them, I deeply admire children’s books for their ability to tell an effective and gripping story with simplistic styles, both linguistically and visually.
That being said, I also understand the importance of possessing the skills to create realistic, intricate and complex designs as well; as a designer, a balanced skillset is invaluable in being able to handle any commission or project handed to you. I am able to create work that has highly life-like imagery or abstract whimsy, depending on the needs of the piece.
My color palates range from bright attention-grabbing primaries to somber, reflective neutral tones. I create my designs carefully and thoughtfully, developing their compositions from the ground up to end up with well-rounded works that offer the audience the opportunity to feel or discover something in the process of experiencing them.
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