Though Dennis Eriksson is renowned for his quirky illustrations, the Swedish artist has recently turned towards painting, already finding early success in New York with his vibrant works. Now, exclusively for Vogue Scandinavia, he blends these two mediums – painting and illustration – etching a series of artworks around lush and luxurious watches
Dennis Eriksson greets me at the entrance of his Södermalm studio dressed in a bright green sweatshirt, trainers and Tom Ford glasses – a stark contrast to his no-fuss grey workspace. With desks of computers, the occasional ceramic, and movie posters dotting the wall, it is a world away from the creative chaos I had been anticipating. Though he shares the space with six other Swedish creatives, he is currently the only soul in the building. “It’s really nice, there’s usually always someone here, the coffee machine running,” he says. “It’s cosy.” Having moved in a mere three weeks ago, he already seems settled.
“I’ve actually got two studios,” Eriksson says. “I’ve just gotten myself a proper painting studio. Here is more kind of, you know, sit down with a computer and draw.” First and foremost an illustrator, Eriksson has been edging back into painting, one of his original artistic passions, after taking a lengthy graphic design detour. “I had been doing commissions since I was a teenager – illustrations for album covers and merchandise for friends’ bands,” he says. “So it wasn’t a totally new thing.”
/Dennis_Eriksson_art_4ea1058c19/Dennis_Eriksson_art_4ea1058c19.jpg)
‘Baignoire’ 18k rose gold watch with brilliant-cut diamonds and blued-steel sword-shaped hands, €27,200. Cartier. Photo: Dennis Eriksson
/Dennis_Eriksson_art_1522de2526/Dennis_Eriksson_art_1522de2526.jpg)
‘Conquest’ 34mm stainless steel automatic watch with sunray green dial and rubber strap, €2,150. Longines. Photo: Dennis Eriksson
It is these illustrations that Eriksson is renowned for, leading to collaborations with the likes of Arket and commissions by Hermès. So why, at 51, would Erikson stray away from a lucrative medium to take up painting – a famously tricky beast? “I wanted to make it more complicated,” he says. “I think I needed something new.”
It is a marriage of these two mediums that Eriksson employed for these very pages. “I wanted to do something lush, something beautiful,” he says. Here, his meticulous artistry highlights the elegance and opulence of timepieces from Omega and Breitling, placing them on women in mundane scenes – driving a car, drinking a glass of wine – by way of rich tones and decisive brush work. For inspiration, Eriksson turned to 1970s cigarette adverts. “I just can’t stop loving ads from that era, like Salem cigarettes,” he says. “Watches are a kind of luxurious product and I wanted to do something that fitted that feeling, but still trying to make it in my own style.”