FEATURED ARTIST Q&A with H+ ANDY GILMORE

In case you missed it, H+ talent ANDY GILMORE took over the SPHERE in Las Vegas for NYE 2024 with a massive display of his iconic work to count us down to the new year.

We caught up with Andy to hear his thoughts on the legendary commission and discuss a bit of the behind the scenes from this incredible opportunity on the worlds largest spherical canvas.

Hey Andy!! Thanks for taking a moment to sit down with us!

H+: What was it like envisioning your artwork on such a large canvas!? 

ANDY GILMORE: It was similar to envisioning it on any other surface. Having only seen the Sphere on a screen, its size and scale were less intimidating than if I had seen it in person. I just approached it as I would any other canvas. 

H+: How was working on a Spherical Canvas? Was it an exciting way to display your artwork? 

AG: Much of my work is spherical, making the Sphere an ideal canvas. Yes, it was very exciting indeed. 

H+: How do you feel about this momentous opportunity for your artwork, & the NYE show? 

AG: New Year is a unique and hopeful holiday that celebrates one year ending and another beginning - the complete rotation of the Earth around the Sun. It is both a collective and personal celebration of reflection and resolutions. 

To be chosen to convey these themes on such a momentous occasion and scale is humbling and an incredible honor and responsibility. 

H+: What influences and inspirations do you draw upon in your work? Music, etc?

AG: As a visual artist and a musician, I am intrigued by the properties and structure of sound and light waves and how (and why) humans utilize and manipulate the qualities of sound and light to express themselves. 

H+: What do you hope people feel or take away from your art? 

AG: I aim to create work with a particular harmony and balance, and I hope that is what people take away from it. 

H+: What advice would you give to aspiring artist/illustrator?

AG: Circumstances can vary significantly in determining the outcome of someone's aspirations, but the one constant of success is putting yourself to it and being ready when opportunity presents itself. 

H+: How did you first become interested in pursuing a career as a Illustrator?

AG: Life-long drawing has been my primary interest. I saw myself as a particular archetypal artist/technician pre-wired to draw, make, and create things inherently. I saw it as my purpose, and it became my focus. It was less a decision than a personal necessity. 

H+: Where do you find motivation for your creative endeavors?

AG: I think I may have an inherent motivation to be creative. 

H+: How do you express your emotions through your art?

AG:T he solemnity of the creative act of drawing, painting, designing, coding. etc. has a particular emotive quality that is synthesized in the work. 

H+: If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

AG: Katsuhiro Otomo - the supreme genius. He would have no use for me.   

H+: If you didn't pursue a creative career, what other path would you have chosen?

AG: I would have been a forest ranger or woodworker. 

Q: What are your thoughts on parallel universes? 

AG: An interesting thought experiment. I don't believe there are variations of myself in a parallel mirror world, but I am open to the idea that a world beyond our perception is parallel to ours.