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In an increasingly overwhelming digital landscape, Artist Anna Taberko creates beautifully self-contained illustrations that capture the delicate details of the natural world.
Currently based in Minnesota, Anna Taberko‘s refreshing, kaleidoscope-like creations have a calming effect not unlike the relaxation/breathing guide GIFs that periodically resurface on the Internet. Taberko’s subjects are largely nature-based and usually floral, with the occasional creature (like frogs) thrown in.
“I was inspired by the coming of spring,”Taberko tells us of her work. “I live in Minnesota, and our winters are very long. When I started creating my flower loops, I was inspired by all the flowers I saw growing and blooming for the first time of the year. Another major inspiration for me were the works of animators Nicolas Fong and Caleb Wood. They work with looping animation and phenakistoscopes. I was always fascinated by the process and wanted to try it for myself!”
At the intersection of technology and nature, Taberko’s work represents a unique 21st century take on the beauty of nature, almost like an antithesis to the tradition of still life.
“I suppose that animation has a way of capturing the fleeting moments of nature into something more permanent and timeless,” Taberko reflects. “You can view my flowers at any time and be reminded of spring. Unfortunately, real flowers are fragile and only bloom for so long.”
Across the Internet, GIFs are an increasingly popular artistic medium with websites like GIPHY aggregating different graphic clips and cinematographs bring a Harry Potter-esque quality of images.
“I decided to work with gifs because I see them as these timeless illustrations,” Taberko explains. “It is a way for me to marry my love for illustration and animation. From a technical standpoint, working with gifs is very limited– but accessible. The animation plays instantly, which reaches people faster than if I were to post links to videos. Gifs are small, which limits the amount of color, detail, and frames I want to use. If it were possible, I always want to use more frames and more colors (and even glowing gradients) in my work. They pose an interesting design challenge for me.”
Worth bookmarking, the GIFs are a quiet way to regroup at your desk and enjoy the cyclical beauty of nature– we find watching them always leaves us with a more focused perspective. That said– it’s always good to go out and get a breath of fresh air when you can!
To see more of Anna Taberko’s work, visit her Tumblr.