California painter and illustrator Peter Sylvada paints in a way that makes “painterly” too weak a descriptor.
Ranging from muted earth tones to brilliant, impressionist strength colors, his oil paintings are composed of wonderfully bold chunks of color and a wealth of tactile brush texture.
From portraits that show the obvious influence of Sargent, to Homer-inspired sea images, to city images that carry echoes of Robert Henri, Sylvada draws on a wealth of affection for great artists and imbues his paintings with rich contrasts of color and tone. His compositions experiment with unorthodox variations in proportion and balance in which backgrounds and occasionally parts of objects are turned into color fields shimmering with the textures of brush strokes.
Unfortunately, his portfolio site, though nicely designed graphically, is hampered by agonizingly slow image transitions that make it an exercise in patience to go through more than a few images. It’s worth the trouble, though; perseverance will be rewarded by an array of wonderful paintings.
Similarly frustrating is his “Bio” page, which also keeps you waiting for over-long “page” turns, and then brushes off his professional accomplishments as though they were inconsequential.
His illustration clients include Toyota, Nissan, United Airlines, The Atlantic Monthly, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and others.
Sylvada is working on a children’s book he has written and he is currently preparing for his initial gallery exhibition.