Orly Orbach

Orly Orbach is a British born illustrator who creates visual narratives in a very unusual way that provoke emotion and thought.

The artist uses collaborative and participatory processes to illustrate old fables and fairy tales in a very non-traditional sense. Her mark making, line and ink washes create what I feel is a very strong image.

Orbach’s genre of work is right up my street, and I feel greatly inspired by this artists innovative work.

This image below is a specific favourite of mine. Done with a mixture of what I presume is ink and possible etching or printmaking, the image is make to look old, and almost haunting. Upon looking a this image I can’t help but feel a little lonely – the singular tree, barren wasteland, and pitch black featureless surroundings all create a sense of solidarity, of isolation.

This image I find particularly interesting; an obvious twist on an old classic children’s rhyme. What is usually a light hearted, whimsical little story, has been morphed into a rather uncomfortable, gruesome image. I find this kind of art incredibly intriguing, since body horror, although something I find hard to look at, I find fascinating.

I also love the use of line work in this picture – seemingly to be created using a quill or thin paintbrush and ink, then spread – just a the tiniest bit – using water. This use of not-quite-solid line work is very effective, and is an interesting deviation from the norm.