Frank Dorrey, of Linden, New-Jersey, is breaking ground with a digital mode of production, an instant’ way of creating that merges illustrating’ with‘photo collage’.

Speaking to Dorrey, it’s fascinating to gage the transition from self-expression to public display, taking emotional bursts of energy and translating this into work that impresses upon the viewer with an immediacy inherent to its rapid creation.

Straight out of High School, Dorrey started sharing his work; not, as he says, with the intention to share, but as an extension of self-expression. Informed by a probing of the Psyche, it’s hard not to take Dorrey’s insightful words about the struggle with and against the ‘storm’ of the psyche to bear upon the torrent of colour, highly contrasted, dreamlike works he delivers.

Coeval’s conversation with Dorrey delves deep into inspiration, personal themes, and, excitingly, what’s next for the artist.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Describe who you are and what you do in your own words.

I love to laugh! I think my favorite quality in myself is how I find humor in a lot of situations!

I feel what I do brings me the same burst of excitement that laughing at a good joke brings.

How did you get into creating this type of art that you post to your Instagram? What is the greater meaning behind it?

I believe it was right after I graduated high school that I wanted to start sharing my work (2017). I always made things, hardly ever with the intent to share but just to express myself. To me I believe that’s the point of it all — to probe my psyche! It’s like braving a storm only to be spat out! Left collecting the remains of who I am.

Describe your work in just a sentence.

Visceral exploration of color and form.

Why do you use this distorted and blurred visual effect that I seem to notice in your work?

I was thinking about that today! I guess I just like to keep certain information away from the viewer. I’m much more fascinated by what’s implied than what is for certain hence the blur. As for distortion, I’m very loose with my wrist/movement when working so that particular wonkiness that appears in my work seems to be the natural by-product of that.

How do you usually find inspiration for your designs? Can you describe your creative process?

I work on my phone so I’m blessed to be in a unique position where I can work whenever I want to. With this level of accessibility I try to only work when I feel inspired to or else I’ll shoot blanks working all day all the time. I feel reserving my mental and emotional energy for the right time serves me well in the long wrong. Oh and my process varies from piece to piece. Oftentimes it takes hours to finish something, plus I love to work at night especially!

What is your preferred medium and why do you enjoy working in it?

My preferred medium is digital because I don’t like to wait! I want instant results because everything that I feel and all the energy I exert into my work is instant.

Are there any themes in your work that feel personal to you?

Companionship is something I notice a lot in my work. Togetherness is a value I cherish but it’s rarely deliberate when I include more than one subject in my work. I presume it’s all by chance! The characters and their positioning come about in the happiest of accidents, but they always make sense in conjunction with one another. It reminds me of how in a relationship two people can come from two entirely different worlds but can still find a way to make sense together.

What software and/or techniques do you utilize in your practice?

I use a photo editing app called PicsArt! It’s quite funny looking at the app because it’s marketed for a completely different audience, but I practice a fusion of digital illustration and photo collating on it. There are a couple other software I use but PicsArt is pretty much my main tool.

Do you have a favourite piece of art that you have created? Tell us about it.

I don’t have a favorite piece because coming up with a favorite is simply impossible for me. But I do love the one I attached below:

The face on the left was a selfie of my actual face! It felt good inserting myself inside this world. Even if it’s at a distance I still feel the warmth —Gawking at the center subject, I feel very close to where they're at while existing in a completely different reality.