A new direction, incorporating found imagery

It's been a while since I posted here, as I've been focusing on posting mainly to Instagram and neglecting other repositories and placements for my work. This one is worth a few more words than I usually devote to an instagram post, and is larger and not-square, so I thought it would benefit from this forum.

What's new about this is that I have rarely incorporated photographs or other existing images in my work, preferring to create all elements in Illustrator. Then the other day, while looking at a particular zoom detail on a map page, I got the urge to capture and transform the basics of the image into my otherwise purely vector-based generative process.

The location detail (barely discernible though it may be) includes what is probably the most heavily traveled stretch of roadway in Minnesota, a section known as the "commons" through which Interstate Highway 35W and Interstate Highway 94 both flow in a river as broad as the Mississippi.

The result is this extra wide image below that I think is pretty successful. Enjoy!

The Commons (2023), digital art by Kevin S. McLaughlin