Interview: Mattijn Franssen

when October 22nd, 2008

who 8 Comments

where Design, Photography

Mattijn Franssen from Netherland, an artist with amazing artworks. He makes oil paintings, illustrations, photomontages, animations and songs!

At first time, I really amazed with his photomontages on Flickr. Photomontage is the process (and result) of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print *

I have great opportunity to get some short interview with him.

I know you from Flickr, amazing photo-montages collection. Why do you like making photo montages ?

I like it because it’s a fast and clean way of working out ideas. An oil painting takes weeks to set up and finish but I can make a montage in a few hours. And its a nice way of “collaging” my days; where did I go (the places I photograph to build my landscapes) what did I see (the buildings, statues and stuff to fill that landscape) and how did I feel (the mood I give to the image)

You make oil paintings, illustrations, animations and produce songs too, wonderful I can see them on your website. When and how did you start making those art stuffs?

I have always made drawings, painting came much later, I made some acryl and water paint works but I made my first oil painting in 2003, I really like animation and would love to explore that a little more, I got a flash sample and tried it but after that never came back to it.

I play guitar and keyboard for 18 years now, I like composing and arranging music it’s something I have always done in between making images and paintings.

I started making photo montages in 2005.

What is your gear (camera, lens, software, ect)?

I have an Olympus SP-320, not a great camera but most of the time good enough for what I want to use it for. And I only use Photoshop CS2.

Your photographer or artist idol

I like many artists but I don’t have an idol, I like the paintings of John Everett Millais a lot and the music of Nick Drake. I am more interested in painters then in photographers.

Your own artwork that you like most

That changes all the time, right now I say November inspired by 14th century oil paintings from the flemish masters the wings i had photographed in the atelier of a taxidermist.