The Arts & Culture Journal

Paul Sargent is an illustrator currently studying at Norwich University College of the Arts. His wonderfully haunting images combine the ugly of the unknown and the sophistication and beauty of the strangely familiar. 

But, Paul explains, he may not have been an illustrator at all. "It was actually a close call between choosing to pursue art and design, or go on to study biochemistry or a similar science."

Indeed much of Paul's influence comes from an interest in the sciences. His often complex imagery could baffle the onlooker and yet the subject is handled so expertly that it all seems to just, work. Paul's obvious confidence in his subject matter resonates through his work and consequently there is an unflinching trust between illustrator and viewer. 

At the time of writing Paul is completing his second year at Norwich University and experimenting is a key part of such an education. He demonstrates this handsomely and more importantly, he has a thirst for more. On his work: “Some are quite diagrammatical, others just explore the wondrous forms and textures in our everyday natural world and give the viewer more understanding of the subject."

The alien subject matter of Paul's work also shines a light on a startling imagination. We are exposed to oppressive cityscapes, pulsating machinery all with twisted religious undertones. This work is exploring God's mistakes - the frightening experiments that went wrong, puppets and a swelling mass of recognisable and alien features. This creates a feast for the viewer and the sense that you are looking at something powerful, a window into another world.  

"I love playing with texture, shape and line and how our perception of these things creates three-dimensional form and space in