Atlas Boyd (K.A. Wesly)

This series is an exploration of a world undergoing an encroaching, irreversible shift and deterioration; a collapse of distance between the familiar and something alien. The once familiar environments erode, distort, and lose stability by the presence of an imperious entity: the orb.

Across the series, a recurring orbital presence appears as something that gradually asserts itself over reality. As the orb grows more imposing, the world becomes submerged beneath a new (dis)order. The past and present become diluted, with the entire history of human society having a sense of being overwritten.

Illustration, combined with personal photos, serve as the foundation of the series. As my work progressed, the artwork became purely illustrative to mirror the otherworldly effect.

This digital painting depicts a towering, monolithic stone pillar rising from a desolate, rocky landscape under a hazy orange sky. The pillar has a jagged vertical split at the top, out of which grows a bare, skeletal tree with spreading branches. Nestled within the crook of the branches and the top of the pillar is a large, smooth orange orb featuring a dark central spot, resembling a giant eye or a setting planet.

This apocalyptic digital painting depicts a devastated landscape under a swirling, fiery orange and red sky that resembles a cosmic vortex. In the center of this vortex sits a large, dim sun or planet with a dark, pupil-like shadow on its surface. The foreground is littered with the splintered remains of wooden structures and rubble. To the left, a crumbling, white neoclassical building—reminiscent of the White House—stands partially destroyed on a barren hill. To the right, a derelict wooden house is seen

This somber digital painting portrays a post-apocalyptic cityscape engulfed in a thick, mustard-colored haze. In the foreground, a small red tricycle and a discarded tire sit on a dusty path, leading the eye toward the crumbling remains of stone buildings and skeletal, leafless trees. The background features the silhouetted ruins of high-rise structures fading into the fog. Dominating the upper center is a large, dark celestial orb with a glowing golden center, framed within a tall, arched portal.

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