A polished palette
Artist And designer syrett’s hypnotic paintings Are pushing creative boundaries in the space where fashion meets Art
Having developed a strong background in textiles, design and fashion styling, SYRETT moved into the world of fine art 14 years ago – and now, his work can be found in galleries and collections around the world.
His recent pieces explore the artistic possibilities of nail varnishes and lacquer in swirling, abstract paintings that are steeped in dreamy romanticism, while exploiting all the textural possibilities of this unusual medium. It’s a style he refers to as Haute Couture Abstraction.
‘People often respond to my work as if they’re looking at clouds,’ says SYRETT. ‘Everyone sees something different and, strangely, men and women will view the same image completely differently. I heard one couple discussing a painting, and he had an affinity with the shapes, as they reminded him of a favourite album cover, while she enjoyed the romantic feel of the colour mixes.’
His collections include the Magazine series, inspired by fashion media (including ‘Hunger’ – shown right). The latest series is the Designer collection, with each piece named after a fashion icon SYRETT particularly admires, from ‘Coco’ (Chanel) to ‘Alexander’ (Mcqueen).
Nail varnish is not the easiest medium to work with, but SYRETT relishes the scientific process and artistic possibilities. ‘Once the powders have been weighed out and mixed into liquid form, and you’re using them to paint, you have to know how quickly the different pigments move and dry, depending on their density,’ he explains. ‘It’s exciting, as you’re never sure what the finished result will look like.’
For the Designer collection, SYRETT teamed up with luxury varnish producer True Brit
London. ‘I’m very fortunate to be collaborating with True Brit London, as I have access to its colour lab,’ he says. ‘It’s a treasure trove for me, with so many beautiful powder pigments – I get lost in them.’
It’s no surprise that the fashion world provides SYRETT with so much inspiration and makes him so adept at predicting future trends.
‘As a textile designer, I worked four years ahead of production,’ he says. ‘Now, working as an artist, I have the freedom to be an image-maker in real time, though I still work seasonally, creating two collections a year. Forecasting change, and producing something different and unusual are really important to me.’ Runway gallery is a new venture that showcases contemporary, fashion-focused art, all online and available at the click of a button. it’s the brainchild of daniel syrett, whose own unique work is part of a range of affordable artworks from 14 celebrated artists. visit runway-gallery.com
NEXT MONTH Duma Arantes lives and works in her native Lisbon. Her work depicts female forms – mostly the face – yet never shows the entire figure.