Paul Lewy

Yor Nutumn

2025

Oil on canvas

60.9 x 60.9 cms.

This is a painting that originated from a bought photograph. I then draw from the photograph then erased the image, leaving a ghostly image of the scene, and then repeating this process until I was happy enough to draw the final repeat without the photographic reference.

A Rift

2025

Oil on canvas

51 x 51 cms.

I have been recently working at a Sixth Form College as an early morning cleaner and so my start of the day is a walk through Brighton in the dark, along the journey I pass a couple of areas of steps and I found them interesting. This is painted from a photograph I took with my phone. I projected the photograph and roughly drew the image onto the canvas. From there on I referred to the photograph until I felt happy to play with the painting on its own merit, then I stopped referring to the image near the final sessions.

A Little Bit About The Artist

A Statement From The Artist

Around a year ago, my artwork was accepted for the Spectral Sublime Exhibition presented by Phantasmal Gallery... Since then, I have been wanting to apply to another themed exhibition. It has taken some time for me to feel I have suitable artwork to show...

In the Spectral Sublime Exhibition my artwork was ‘Uncanny’, I hope my latest work, if chosen, has a more ‘Creepier’ feel... Hopefully, one day I will create artwork that is closer to being ‘Horrific’... One can only dream!?

I create Figurative oils, occasional watercolours and drawings from photographs of my own family and of family photographs bought in Antique shops. Also, I work from my own photographs and those donated by kind friends, as well as from magazines and screen saves.

Because my handling of paint is far too rough to be photo-realistic in style, my artwork becomes almost Impressionistic, raw and Idiosyncratic in their nature.

Whats your favourite monster and why?

Probably not that scary but the films I really love are - 'VVitch.', 'A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.', 'The Company Of Wolves.', 'The Hunger.', Werner Herzog's 'Nosferatu The Vampyre.', Tod Browning's 'Freaks.', Wojciech Has' 'The Hourglass Sanatorium.' and 'The Saragossa Manuscript.', 'The Night Porter.', 'The Zone Of Interest.', 'Carry On Screaming.' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' These are not so horrific but are dark.

What's is your biggest influence for your practice?

As for the visual aesthetic of the series, it is worth mentioning the undoubted appeal to the painting of the 16th-17th centuries of the vanitas genre.

Tell us about an exhibition that inspired you recently?

I loved Tim Burton's exhibition in Design Museum.