Phil Hale
Encyclopedia
Philip Oliver Hale, born in 1963, is an American figurative
painter
who currently resides in London
, England
.
Prior to turning to fine arts he worked as an illustrator
, doing mostly figurative work. He was apprenticed to/ partnered with American painter Rick Berry.
His current work focuses on figure as well, in depictions of slightly surreal scenes with strange characters performing various physical feats, usually in a confrontation of some sort. He seems to take keen interest in tension and emphasis of angular and dynamic aspects of the figure, almost always incorporating slight anatomical distortions to great effect.
A portrait of former UK Prime Minister
, Tony Blair
by the artist was unveiled in Westminster
on April 23, 2008. Mr Blair sat for the portrait during his final months in office in 2007.
He also recently formed the movie production company "unprofessional.com" with his son Callum Hale Thomson. It specialises in bespoke analogue filmmaking.
He was commissioned by Penguin Classics to paint new covers for new editions of six Joseph Conrad
books, published in 2007: Heart of Darkness
and The Congo Diary, Typhoon and Other Stories, Lord Jim
, Under Western Eyes
, The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
and Other Stories, Nostromo
and The Secret Agent
.
Interiors
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who currently resides in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Prior to turning to fine arts he worked as an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, doing mostly figurative work. He was apprenticed to/ partnered with American painter Rick Berry.
His current work focuses on figure as well, in depictions of slightly surreal scenes with strange characters performing various physical feats, usually in a confrontation of some sort. He seems to take keen interest in tension and emphasis of angular and dynamic aspects of the figure, almost always incorporating slight anatomical distortions to great effect.
A portrait of former UK Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
by the artist was unveiled in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
on April 23, 2008. Mr Blair sat for the portrait during his final months in office in 2007.
He also recently formed the movie production company "unprofessional.com" with his son Callum Hale Thomson. It specialises in bespoke analogue filmmaking.
Major works
- Double Memory: Art and Collaboration by Rick Berry and Phil Hale
- A Monster at ChristmasA Monster at ChristmasA Monster at Christmas is a fantasy horror poem by Thomas Canty. The poem, a stranger Christmas fantasy was first published in 1985 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc.. Though a well known artist, Canty chose Phil Hale to illustrate his book. While the book's colophon states that 1,050 copies...
by Phil Hale and Thom CantyThomas CantyThomas Canty is an illustrator and book designer in the field of fantasy literature.-Career:Canty is credited with pioneering a "New Romantic" style of painting, influenced by such 19th century artists as Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and the Pre-Raphaelites...
- Goad: The Many Moods of Phil Hale by Phil Hale
- Mockingbirds/ Relaxeder by Phil Hale
- Sparrow: Phil Hale by Phil Hale
- The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, interior illustrations by Phil Hale - Urge Ourselves Under by Phil Hale
Audio
- Golden Phone Plays Mockingbirds by Golden Phone (a band in which Phil Hale and Jon Wygens play)
Book covers
- Arbitrary Crude by Enders Buzcienski
- By the Time I got to Phoenix by Paolo Belhassaine
- Candyass, 2 a.m. by Willem Barough
- Conspicuity by Sanford Pel
- Farther the Shoals, Darker than This by Duane Michael Edley
- Fondle by Sanford Pel
- Goya by B. Grutbauer
- Hero is Angry by Y.Carlos Cantor
- Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad
- Hong on the Range by William F Wu
- I am Drugs by Jayne Reeser
- Insomnia by Stephen King
- Lungs, Lips and Liver by Rena Davrin
- Makes Me Want to Cry by Bob Mertz
- Mofo by Hooglander Ivanov
- New Black Car by James Higgins (as yet unpaid)
- Relaxeder by Carsten Glock
- Shrivel and Deplete by B. Grutbauer
- Tendresse by Gene Scott Tzerati
- The Male and Female Uro-genital systems: Collected Essays 1992-97 by Rafael Onlhy
- The Male and Female Uro-genital systems: Collected Essays 1997-99 by Rafael Onlhy
- The Pornographic Diagram is Incorrect by Rena Davrin
- Mary the Very Hairy Fairy by Phil Hale and Avalon Hale Thomson
He was commissioned by Penguin Classics to paint new covers for new editions of six Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
books, published in 2007: Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...
and The Congo Diary, Typhoon and Other Stories, Lord Jim
Lord Jim
Lord Jim is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900.An early and primary event is Jim's abandonment of a ship in distress on which he is serving as a mate...
, Under Western Eyes
Under Western Eyes
Under Western Eyes is a novel by Joseph Conrad. The novel takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Geneva, Switzerland, and is viewed as Conrad's response to the themes explored in Crime and Punishment; Conrad being reputed to have detested Dostoevsky...
, The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
The Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Sea is a novella by Joseph Conrad. Because of its quality compared to earlier works, some have described it as marking the start of Conrad's major period; others have placed it as the best work of his early period. John G...
and Other Stories, Nostromo
Nostromo
Nostromo is a 1904 novel by Polish-born British novelist Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana." It was originally published serially in two volumes of T.P.'s Weekly....
and The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale is a novel by Joseph Conrad published in 1907. The story is set in London in 1886 and deals largely with the life of Mr. Verloc and his job as a spy. The Secret Agent is also notable as it is one of Conrad's later political novels, which move away from his typical...
.
Magazines
Covers- Epic December 1985
Interiors
- Playboy (July 98)
- Playboy (Sep 98)
- Playboy (Feb 05)
- Imbroglio Magazine (June 5)
- Imbroglio Magazine (April 9)
- Tripwire Magazine (July 9)
Other published work
- Poster for Spectrum 13: Call for Entries
- Featured in certain issues of Spectrum annual