Artist profile: syrett

artist and designer syrett’s hypnotic paintings push creative boundaries between art, design and couture With an impressive background in textiles, design and fashion styling, SYRETT moved into fine art 14 years ago, and his work is now represented in galleries and collections around the world. SYRETT’S latest pieces use nail varnishes and lacquer in swirling, abstract paintings that are steeped in romanticism. We talked to him about his work…

What’s your process for creating an image?

I start by choosing the right colours, and I’m very fortunate to be working with True Brit London nail varnish and using its colour lab, which is a treasure trove of beautiful powder pigments. One of my favourites at the moment is based on microscopic pyramids that create an iridescent colour change, depending on how the light hits them. To begin with, I worked with 10x10cm images, which were photographed and enlarged to create colour prints ten times their original size. More recently I’ve been painting on square metre-sized pieces of Perspex and aluminium. Moving the varnish is challenging on this scale, so I use glaziers’ suckers to hold and manoeuvre the perspex.

how important are trends?

Fashion designers have to anticipate or create trends – and as a textile designer, I worked four years ahead of production. Now, 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 being different are really important to me.

What’s your current style?

I describe my art as haute couture abstraction.

any advice for someone buying art for their home?

Buy what you like – investments can be tricky in the artworld. If you love looking at it, that’s enough.

if you could own one painting, what would it be?

Bildnis Der Journalistin Sylvia von Harden by Otto Dix. It was painted during a difficult period in German history and inspired the opening scene of Cabaret.