SuperRare

WHAT IS VECTOR HYPERREALISM?

VECTOR HYPERREALISM is a new frontier in contemporary art -- and the art practice I’ve been  quietly and obsessively developing for the past few years.

a deeper dive into the process and philosophy 🧵👇

psst… not a fan of threads? 🧵
read it as one well-formatted article on my website:

vector hyperrealism  :: 
CALIFORMETRY.COM

psst… not a fan of threads? 🧵
read it as one well-formatted article on my website:
https://califormetry.com/what-is-vector-hyperrealism

Although vector is seamlessly woven into our digital lives – including the font used to display these words – it’s not a concept widely known to the general public outside the design world.

Created using points, paths, and curves defined by mathematical equations rather than pixels, vector graphics are infinitely scalable and prized for their crisp, clean aesthetics. Thus, historically, they’ve been synonymous with minimalism: used in branding, UI, graphic design, and flat illustration. Vector has never been associated with realism, let alone hyperrealism.

Until now.

My journey toward this frontier began with intention.

Back in 2013–14, I began experimenting with visual complexity in raster, creating my first ultra-detailed architectural illustrations. Those works tested the limits of both my patience and my hardware. I loved the art, but not the process: having to wait 20 minutes every time I hit save was unbearable.

Still, the desire to push mediums to their limits never left me.

At the end of 2022, I decided to revisit that longing, but this time, with a plan and a technical solution: vector.

With years of experience across multiple mediums behind me, I set out to explore how vector graphics could be used not to simplify but to create realism and depth.

I called it HYPER-DETAILED VECTOR ART.
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"STAR OF INDIA" (2023)
hyper-detailed vector art

Soon, through curiosity and self-reflection, the work evolved –  naturally and unexpectedly – into something that began to push beyond the realism end of the axis and into the uncharted territory of visual representation.

Defining Vector Hyperrealism has become both a technical and philosophical pursuit: a merging of  digital tools with the limits of human patience. It’s not just a style  experiment: it’s an exploration of how a rigid, mechanical medium, long  associated with simplification, can instead be used to reveal – not  reduce – the emotional perception of the complexity of reality.

Just as photorealism once redefined painting in the age of photography,  Vector Hyperrealism redefines the possibilities of vector as an art  medium. My goal isn’t simply to impress with detail, but to elevate the  medium — to reclaim vector from its utilitarian past and reframe it as a  tool for fine art.

"PIRATE TOWER" (2024) 
vector hyperrealism ✍️ 37 073 hand-drawn elements

private commission of Laguna Beach, California 

full story behind it:

"PIRATE TOWER" (2024) 
vector hyperrealism ✍️ 37 073 hand-drawn elements

private commission of Laguna Beach, California 

full story behind it: https://califormetry.com/laguna-beach-pirate-tower-art

Each piece is drawn entirely by hand in Adobe Illustrator. No  autotracing. No shortcuts. Every element, every shadow and every  highlight is crafted purposefully, shape by shape. Some works take  weeks. Others -- months. 

The most ambitious to date, "THE GOLDEN STATE" (2024), contains 77,832 individual hand-drawn vector elements.

From afar, these images might appear photographic. But zoom in, and a  different story emerges: each element is a meaningless abstraction on  its own. It is to the whole what an ant is to a colony. I’m fascinated  by that emergence.

"STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" (2024)
vector hyperrealism ✍️ 36 165 hand-drawn elements

private commission of Laguna Beach, California

full story behind it:

"STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" (2024)
vector hyperrealism ✍️ 36 165 hand-drawn elements

private commission of Laguna Beach, California

full story behind it: https://califormetry.com/stairway-to-heaven-laguna-beach-sunset-art

I want these works to feel monumental like building a cathedral to human craftsmanship in an age of automation, disposable imagery, and algorithmic shortcuts.

This is my rebellion. 

Not against AI itself, but against the fear that  AI marks the death of the artist. Vector Hyperrealism is my commitment to human intention and, considering that nearly half of my works in this direction have been private commissions, I’m happy to say that appreciation for craftsmanship is still very much alive. And I believe it’s only going to grow, especially in the face of the approaching generative-content singularity.

genuinely appreciate your curiosity about artists pushing the boundaries

and i'm warmly inviting you to explore more about my California-bound art practice at http://CALIFORMETRY.COM

much love from sunny California 
- Cal