Phil Sinclair’s tools are his pens and some jazz music…maybe.
Yes Phil is a unique character and it certainly comes through in his work with materials, techniques and mediums that challenge the ordinary.
Phil has thought of an aesthetically pleasing way to translate music into fine art.
I click on one of his ‘Percussive Sketch’ videos and the concept is revealed almost straight away. He jams away with both hands gripping pens, (or pencils in some cases). A specific song plays in the background- the beat dictating his movement. Phil is truly a talented drummer as well as artist.
On their own the sketches are mostly abstract. Various marks, dots, ticks and lines compile the work. Phil does a great job of adding some sort of depth and definitely a lot of diversity to the pieces.
It can’t be easy trying to drum along with two pens, and make it look appealing. Yet Phil still manages to add imagery to a lot of the pieces which certainly have charm.
In fact I can picture myself regularly playing the subject song whilst gazing at my piece hung on my wall. What a great way to not only mix up the act of consuming art, but also to encourage it.
“Probably the hardest i’ve ever hit a blank piece of paper.” -Phil Sinclair.
Phil is a keen musician so sometimes the music is his own production and sometimes it’s ‘Get Your Freak On’- by Missy Elliot. That’s part of the beauty of these works. They are highly customisable due to the song choice so the relationship between song and form is so strong.
Most of the pieces are in charcoal or graphite pencil and so have a broody and dark edge to them which works sparingly in my opinion. So I was happy to see the use of vibrant, coloured highlighters used as well.
From Matisse to Mondrian, the visual arts have always been influenced by music, and vice versa.
From the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century western artists sought something more than the usual symbiosis between art forms. They strained to evoke music’s rhythms, structures, and tones in their work—in short, to transform one art form into another.
Phil’s Percussive Sketches are a multifaceted means of enjoying both. There is the finished product and of course the videos of the process where his pens dance to the beats playing alongside.
To find out more and for investment enquiries please contact Phil on instagram: @philsinclairartandmusic or his website: phil-sinclair.com
Read My Thoughts 