Paul Piorkowski - Week 12 Research Assignment

 The artist I chose to share this week is Caelan Stokkermans. Born in Ohio, Stokkermans has been making artwork for about eight years now, and specializes in logos and album artworks for metal bands. Stokkermans himself also is in a few bands, being the vocalist of the slam band Visceral Hatred since 2015, the vocalist of the technical deathcore band Ascent of Apophis since 2012, and the keyboardist of the deathcore band Mire Lore since 2016. He is also the art director and senior product manager for the metal label Unique Leader Records. He uses Photoshop, Illustrator Lightroom, and a Wacom Cintiq tablet for his artwork.

The artwork I decided to share this week is the artwork Stokkermans illustrated for the album Failure Will Follow by the deathcore band The Acacia Strain, released May 12th, 2023. The artwork depicts a deer sitting in the grass by a dead tree while a robin sits on its back and pulls chunks of flesh from its back to feed its young. The feeding is not shown in the art of this album, but rather in the artwork of The Acacia Strain's album Step into the Light, also illustrated by Stokkermans and released May 12, 2023 (yes, The Acacia Strain released two full length albums on the same day). The deer being eaten by the bird perfectly represents the cycle of life; the deer is dying, and its remains are feeding the bird, showing that life grows from death. The deer also appears to be content with the situation, showing that it has come to terms with its inevitable fate. The songs of The Acacia Strain tend to be deep in meaning and have philosophical tones to them, which makes the band my go-to band to listen to when making art, as it helps channel my artistic creativity.

Stokkermans' website: Caelan Stokkermans Arts