Lionel's collages have a very magical quality to them--the vibrancy of the colours used, the carefully chosen images, and each other-wordly scenario contribute to this appeal. I love digital collages when they have an atmosphere, something fantastic that would be impossible to achieve on paper. His collages make me think of stills of sci-fi or fantasy movies, which is probably because his concepts are so well thought out before he ever starts a collage.

Lionel Williams (art and music under Vinyl Williams)
http://vinylwilliams.tumblr.com, http://www.lionelwilliams.com

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Sacred magic religious mysticism ceremonial Middle-eastern collage art.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

I like to work with images found on Islamic poetry/art sites, as well as American landscaping sites, when I can find extremely high resolution images of trees, bushes, vines etc in their database - most of which are not even seen on the site itself. I do sometimes feel like a pirate of media, but most consolidating images are seen by merely a handful of people.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I've only been doing surreal collage art since the beginning of this year. Before that, my entire line of art were poster prints for The Kollective booking agency. None of them were very psychedelic, or collage-art based. I started created what I currently create out of nowhere... one day I put colorful pieces together in Photoshop, and I used symmetry and extreme use of layering to stumble upon a magic accident. The best things in my life are as ironic as that.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I'm equally an artist as musician. I had a creative realization within the past month - I looked through my collage art catalog in chronological order, and it seemed to perfectly align with how my music has evolved. It seems obvious to have the two be parallel, but it was mind-blowing to realize that music has a direct visual representation, and this is that in its purest form. For example, the music released at the beginning of this year was very contrasted, obsessively layered, new and pristine. The art is parallel to that exact description.

Do you have any formal art training?

None whatsoever.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I like observing nature and forming a full collage concept before I even start designing, and then recording the scattered idea on a tape recorder, finally re-organizing the concept weeks later. I also like making images look far worse and damaged than in their most natural digital state. The process of damage is more revealing to me than starting with a polaroid or film slide.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

I don't have a favourite art piece of mine. Maybe I'll form a better opinion of my work when I can reflect on it in a few years. As for my favourite piece of media created in my entire life, it must be the full length cryptic poetry book that I wrote a few years ago. I don't talk about it too much, and I have not released it or showed it to anybody. It's comfortable to know that I have a physical piece of my isolated solitude, simply a secret with myself.

What other artists do you admire?

Mati Klarwein, Allison Davies, Eva Schindling, Ricky Allman, Roger Kelly, Brandi Strickland, Tetradia.n

Thanks Lionel!