Headliner Spotlight: George Llizo’s Otherworldly Artwork

If there was an EDC on the moon, we imagine it would look a little bit like George Llizo’s digital illustrations. After listening to Dash Berlin’s set from EDC Vegas 2013, the Miami native got inspired, played around in Photoshop for a bit, and produced artwork that Insomniac Founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella loved enough to share on his own Facebook page. “Looking at the images of EDC while listening to the set gives you a sense of your place in the universe,” Llizo explains. He used his penchant for art to capture the essence of what EDC is all about, and we’d say he did a pretty fine job. Read our Q&A to find out more.

Tell us a little bit about your art background.
It all started in 2004. I learned web design and graphic design when I went to high school and college at the same time through a dual-enrollment program. I don’t do hand-drawn art, but rather art in a digital form. I come up with an idea for a certain scene or landscape, and then I start generating all of the elements that I need and put them together in Photoshop using different effects.

What inspired you to make the artwork?
What inspired me was the connection that music lovers have at any of these dance music events. I’m a huge physics and astronomy freak, and that’s the kind of artwork I like to do. I had some spare time and I was listening to Dash Berlin’s set from EDC 2013 and it inspired me. Listening to the set and looking at the finished image makes me say, “Wow!”

How did you make it?
I got the pictures of EDC and the star elements and put everything together in Photoshop. I used a lot of blending effects and tricks to make the artwork look as natural as possible. Each picture took about an hour-and-a-half to make.

When you made the artwork, were you planning to send it into Insomniac, or is that something you decided afterwards?
I actually decided afterwards. I created it and I left it on my desktop for a little while and said, “You know what, this actually looks pretty good. Maybe people at Insomniac might get a kick out of it.”

If you had an unlimited budget and unlimited time, what kind of artwork would you make?
Artwork that makes the viewer have a sense of who they really are in the grand scheme of things. Artwork that makes you go, “Wow! We are just a pale blue dot in this whole universe.” Since I’m a marketer and web designer, I would find a way to make the artwork look as presentable as possible and get it out to the masses in the most economical way possible, and with the most impact.

What would you say is the connection between art and music?
It’s all one. Art is music, music is art. When you listen to music, it gives you feelings and emotions; it brings you back. You’re reminiscent of when you heard that song back in the day. Art does the same thing. Whenever you experience art, it evokes those emotions as well, just like music.

What do Insomniac and EDC mean to you?
If I needed to sum it up in one word, it would be escape; an escape from the ordinary, just from existence into actually living. At EDC, everyone is one and you’re friends with everyone. What it really comes down to is a sense of unity. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how old you are, how you look or what your background is. You’re all there for the same purpose: to enjoy life, enjoy the music, and just let go. That’s what it’s all about.

If you’d like a chance to be featured in our Headliner Spotlight, email your story to editorial@insomniac.com. We’d love to hear it.