Cinematic portraits by Irish painter Peter Doyle

After chancing across Dublin artist Peter Doyle’s work on Instagram, we were instantly drawn to his easy, fluid mark making and the wide-reaching colour palette with which he builds his cinematic portraits.

“Being from [Dublin suburb] Donaghmede really influences me,” Peter says. “The things I’m working on now reflect that a bit more – you can see where I’m from as more of an influence. I like mixing things out of context, symbols and things that can represent totally opposite themes beside each other.”

Focusing on one or two featureless human sitters, often flanked by animal sidekicks including parrots, a fox, a dog, horse and cat, Peter’s paintings open a door into a disconcerting world where sex, guns, booze and cigarettes have a near constant presence. Among the recurring motifs are plants, fruit bowls, and omnipresent checkerboard tile floors.

“I started off doing illustration in the same style,” Peter explains. “Scale and control were always a problem for me when it came to working on a computer: that’s when I began to see where I was going in paint rather than illustration.

As for the process behind his paintings, Peter tells us, “I try to take a casual approach usually, but I could paint over something five times before its done. Sometimes I just draw something I like, things I’m into or something I find reflects part of the city.”