Phil Hale

Illustration for Swamp Thing

Phil Hale is a contemporary illustrator and artist who lives in London.
Phil’s paintings express a dark anxiety, his figures unnerving and uncomfortable. The male form is almost always present in his paintings. The figure is in motion, performing some visual feat, often skin and muscle are taut and bold. A staple of Hale’s work is his male figures in the air, arms outstretched against a blue sky, attacking a mechanical beast.

clown

Phil’s work is often a violent depiction of male culture and masculinity. In his image punch, a dynamic boxer lands a punch against a gray boxer, wearing red gloves and shorts. The blow leaves the boxers face uncomfortably twitched, the face twisting with the blow.

Hale’s dynamic technique leads to the dark interpretation present. He paints shadows in dark, often black tones. His forte is cloth and musculature; he paints both superbly in immaculate detail. Each muscle, bone, vein painted to create a representation of physicality.

Punch

Having worked as an illustrator, painting comic and novel covers, phil turned to fine art, havng a show entitled Mockingbirds/Relaxender. His illustration work and fine art feature the same themes, the figure in motion.

Hair

In this image, Phil Hale paints musculature and motion against an almost blank backdrop. The character’s stick blurred in motion, the mechanical beast attacked.

Mask

It is the painting style and intensity of character that sets Phil hale apart from other figurative painters. His figures are not just examples of skin painting, but anatomical figures emotionally and physically strong. Phil Hale is a painter who projects emotions through characters who inhibit their own bizarre universe.