Boy with Poppies
by Elliott Grinnell
by Elliott Grinnell
Artist Statement
The boy wearing poppies as a flower crown was done to explore color palette and the vibrancy of red, but also to play with masculinity and femininity. While the boy nearly blends into the background—made with pastel colors against an almost monochrome striped wallpaper—the poppies stick out in full force. Poppies are a flower I've always associated with nostalgia and the women in my life—my mother has them growing in her garden and my grandmother always used to comment on how pretty they looked in the spring. They are a vibrant and rich flower, one I use to symbolize the individuality of someone who might not be ready to express a true self yet, someone who is hesitantly going forth and making bolder choices, regardless of gender and social expectancies. The hesitance is based on nostalgia of how things used to be—and yet, he is slowly bringing forth his passion and his true self.
Elliott Grinnell is an illustrator from Massachusetts and recent graduate of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA. While illustrating and character creation is his primary focus, he hopes to enter the world of animation and continue playing with fun patterns, colors, fashion design, and shifty characters. His work is inspired by costume designers, sculptors, painters, animators, and performers alike, and plays with the concept of boyhood, femininity, individuality, and self-identity.
The boy wearing poppies as a flower crown was done to explore color palette and the vibrancy of red, but also to play with masculinity and femininity. While the boy nearly blends into the background—made with pastel colors against an almost monochrome striped wallpaper—the poppies stick out in full force. Poppies are a flower I've always associated with nostalgia and the women in my life—my mother has them growing in her garden and my grandmother always used to comment on how pretty they looked in the spring. They are a vibrant and rich flower, one I use to symbolize the individuality of someone who might not be ready to express a true self yet, someone who is hesitantly going forth and making bolder choices, regardless of gender and social expectancies. The hesitance is based on nostalgia of how things used to be—and yet, he is slowly bringing forth his passion and his true self.
Elliott Grinnell is an illustrator from Massachusetts and recent graduate of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA. While illustrating and character creation is his primary focus, he hopes to enter the world of animation and continue playing with fun patterns, colors, fashion design, and shifty characters. His work is inspired by costume designers, sculptors, painters, animators, and performers alike, and plays with the concept of boyhood, femininity, individuality, and self-identity.