Jason LaFerrera

I've been collecting maps for almost as long as I've been making art with a computer, close to ten years now. When I initially had the idea of making collages of maps into fauna, I couldn't bring myself to cut up the objects I treasured so deeply. From the colorful lines to the assortment of fill types, the tattered papers had been preserved for too long for me to destroy them with scissors. Even if I were to create something new from their destruction, the world would be with one less artifact. It's at this point when I truly saw the beauty of using the computer, the benefit of the truest sense non-destructive editing. Incidentally this allowed me to overcome one of the largest hurdles I had faced while making digital art; the maps added texture and depth to a medium that I have often struggled to make appear less flat and lifeless.

I will be having my first solo exhibition, From Here to Over There, on July 9th at Chop Suey Books in Richmond, VA. This will be followed by another show, The Atlas is Painless, opening on July 15th at The Renaissance Center in Dickson, Tennessee.

Here is a peek at some of my work:



Yellow Eyed Junco

The first piece I made using this new digital technique. I tried to emulate aves in poses reminiscent to field guides or old Audubon illustrations. The first series I began working on contain a hodgepodge of maps. I was more concerned with connecting color and texture than location.





Gray Jay

Continuing on this motif, I started working on several individual birds.



I began to play with the composition, incorporating more than one bird per piece.



Landing Osprey

It was at this point that I moved away from field guide-esque illustration, but considered birds in other positions.



Don't Look Back

After playing with fowl for so long, I began to investigate other wildlife that I was interested in.



Doe and Fawn

And after working on the elk, I decided to investigate deer.



Virginia Northern Cardinal

In preparation for my first exhibition in my home state of Virginia, I started rendering animals from maps of their area of habitat. I began with the state bird of Virginia, the Cardinal. After producing this image I had a desire to collage all the state birds, which hopefully I will get to do. The Northern Cardinal is actually the state bird of 7 states, more than any other species of bird.



Virginia Red Fox

The fox, the perpetual hunter of all sorts of birds. This piece is also created from localized Virginia maps.

More of my work can be seen at the website Jason LaFerrera.

I sell some of my pieces as limited run archival giclee prints in my Etsy shop.

I gladly take commissioned work, and can be reached via email at jason.laferrera@gmail.com.