The artist behind Dormilona
Sean Edward Whelan
Born in 1981, Sean has always had a pencil in hand or something to draw within reach.
Moving from suburban Melbourne to Tasmania to complete his secondary education, he was more interested in filling the margins of his notebooks with robots and video game characters than studying science or math. This led him to pursue a career in the arts, convinced by his teachers that graphic design might be a suitable choice.
After graduating from the Tasmanian School of Art in 2002 and working as an early web designer, he relocated to Japan to learn more about the origins of the pop-culture icons and artists with which he was obsessed.
Spending over a decade in Joetsu City, Sean found inspiration in Japanese culture – joining traditional seasonal activities and local celebrations thanks to the generosity of the people he met there. A big fan of nature, Sean also spent time in the mountains, exploring the Japan’s waterfalls and dense, mossy forests – something that’s become a long-running theme throughout his illustration work to date.
In 2010, Sean began exhibiting his artwork in Melbourne, during the peak of the street art and low-brow art movement in Australia. It was around this time that he met Dormilona founder, Jo Perry through a mutual friend.
Today, Sean lives and works in Tasmania with his partner, Ayako, and combined with creating and showcasing his artworks in Australia, Japan, the US, and the UK, he’s working on illustrations for Dormilona, and the winery’s sister brands, Clayface and Yokel.
To see more of Sean’s artwork and learn more, visit sean-edward.com.au/news/ or follow him on Instagram at @seanedward_illustrations for a behind-the-scenes look at his illustration work for Dormilona.
Sean’s up and coming exhibition will be held at OUTRÉ GALLERY on Smith Street Collingwood, 9th August 2024
The artist behind Dormilona
Sean Edward Whelan
Born in 1981, Sean has always had a pencil in hand or something to draw within reach.
Moving from suburban Melbourne to Tasmania to complete his secondary education, he was more interested in filling the margins of his notebooks with robots and video game characters than studying science or math. This led him to pursue a career in the arts, convinced by his teachers that graphic design might be a suitable choice.
After graduating from the Tasmanian School of Art in 2002 and working as an early web designer, he relocated to Japan to learn more about the origins of the pop-culture icons and artists with which he was obsessed.
Spending over a decade in Joetsu City, Sean found inspiration in Japanese culture – joining traditional seasonal activities and local celebrations thanks to the generosity of the people he met there. A big fan of nature, Sean also spent time in the mountains, exploring the Japan’s waterfalls and dense, mossy forests – something that’s become a long-running theme throughout his illustration work to date.
In 2010, Sean began exhibiting his artwork in Melbourne, during the peak of the street art and low-brow art movement in Australia. It was around this time that he met Dormilona founder, Jo Perry through a mutual friend.
Today, Sean lives and works in Tasmania with his partner, Ayako, and combined with creating and showcasing his artworks in Australia, Japan, the US, and the UK, he’s working on illustrations for Dormilona, and the winery’s sister brands, Clayface and Yokel.
To see more of Sean’s artwork and learn more, visit sean-edward.com.au/news/ or follow him on Instagram at @seanedward_illustrations for a behind-the-scenes look at his illustration work for Dormilona.
Sean’s next exhibition will be at Outré Gallery on Smith Street Collingwood on 9th August 2024
