Dan Ouellette
Encyclopedia
Dan Ouellette is an American artist, illustrator
, director, author and production designer
. He began drawing as a child inspired by Escher
, Dalí
and Moebius
. His drawings usually begin with very rough sketches and are intended to capture a moment of tension or eroticism
. His art pushes his audience into areas where people feel less than comfortable, stateing that the "US which is so puritanical, our bodies are usually a great source of anxiety and fear". As a production designer, he has designed over fifteen independent feature films in the past decade as well as numerous commercials and music videos. He is best known as the director for the music videos Blue and Looking Glass by The Birthday Massacre
, receiving over 4 million combined views on YouTube
, and has directed music videos for the industrial band Android Lust
. He has done production design for many films over the years including Chasing Sleep
starring Jeff Daniels
. Dan's artwork is strongly themed around surrealism
and includes mostly pen and ink dot drawings and hatching
. As an artist he has exhibited widely. He has been published in numerous anthology art books including Bio-Mannerism which also features work by H.R. Giger and Beksinski, and he has been featured in magazines internationally. David Bowie
commented while looking at Dan's art that he has noticed a strong influence of sci-fi on contemporary art. Giger saw a different aspect, saying simply "Very bony." He grew to adore the cinema of Fellini and later to marvel at Lynch's Eraserhead
. Rather than pursue a formal education in the fine arts he chose to study the craft of film making and after college he became a production designer working on feature films in New York City.
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, director, author and production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
. He began drawing as a child inspired by Escher
Escher
Escher may refer to:Persons* Alfred Escher , a Swiss politician and railway pioneer* Arnold Escher von der Linth , a Swiss geologist* Berend George Escher , a Dutch geologist...
, Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and Moebius
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
. His drawings usually begin with very rough sketches and are intended to capture a moment of tension or eroticism
Eroticism
Eroticism is generally understood to refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love...
. His art pushes his audience into areas where people feel less than comfortable, stateing that the "US which is so puritanical, our bodies are usually a great source of anxiety and fear". As a production designer, he has designed over fifteen independent feature films in the past decade as well as numerous commercials and music videos. He is best known as the director for the music videos Blue and Looking Glass by The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
, receiving over 4 million combined views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, and has directed music videos for the industrial band Android Lust
Android Lust
Android Lust is the industrial solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, industrial, gothic and classical styles into a blend of music that she describes as "electronic and dark."-History:...
. He has done production design for many films over the years including Chasing Sleep
Chasing Sleep
Chasing Sleep is a 2000 psychological thriller film written and directed by Michael Walker released to video in 2001. It depicts the reaction of a college professor who awakens to find his wife missing...
starring Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
. Dan's artwork is strongly themed around surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and includes mostly pen and ink dot drawings and hatching
Hatching
Hatching is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines...
. As an artist he has exhibited widely. He has been published in numerous anthology art books including Bio-Mannerism which also features work by H.R. Giger and Beksinski, and he has been featured in magazines internationally. David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
commented while looking at Dan's art that he has noticed a strong influence of sci-fi on contemporary art. Giger saw a different aspect, saying simply "Very bony." He grew to adore the cinema of Fellini and later to marvel at Lynch's Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
. Rather than pursue a formal education in the fine arts he chose to study the craft of film making and after college he became a production designer working on feature films in New York City.
Videography
- "Stained" (2003) video for Android LustAndroid LustAndroid Lust is the industrial solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, industrial, gothic and classical styles into a blend of music that she describes as "electronic and dark."-History:...
- "Blue" (1996) video for The Birthday MassacreThe Birthday MassacreThe Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
- "Dragonfly" (2006) video for Android LustAndroid LustAndroid Lust is the industrial solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, industrial, gothic and classical styles into a blend of music that she describes as "electronic and dark."-History:...
- "Looking Glass" (2008) video for The Birthday MassacreThe Birthday MassacreThe Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
- "Here Comes The Rain" (2011) video for Foetus (band)Foetus (band)Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...