Tobi Schnorpfeil is a Germany-based engineer, filmmaker and tech founder who started making digital art in early 2020. “Before the pandemic, I loved to go outside and pursue photography in my free time, preferably whilst traveling. As this was pretty much impossible (or at least uncomfortable), and Germany was heading into lockdown, I sought a new method of expression. This led me to 3D rendering.”
Fast forward 18 months, and 3D design has become a favourite creative pastime. Shown here are calming images by Schnorpfeil, all set around water. They are awash with pale purples, deep blues and dreamy pinks. Solitary figures stare out at open oceans, lit only by moonlight. Groups of people bend and stretch, ankle-deep in still pools. Across every scene, there is a strong sense of a light and shadow.
The images are filled with nods to surrealism. Beds float, inexplicably, amongst deep water. Trees emerge from rippling seascapes. Green lilypads float in the open ocean. Schnorpfeil’s world is a place where the sun is always setting – a destination ripe with possibility. “The complete freedom lets you create anything you can imagine,” the artist says of the new medium. “It’s a challenging but also rewarding feeling.”
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
All images courtesyTobi Schnorpfeil.
1. Waiting 2
2. Waiting
3. Equals 3
4. Floating
5. Equals 2
6. Waiting 2
