Phil Hale

Philip Oliver Hale, born in 1963,^[1] 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.^[2]

He also recently formed the movie production company "unprofessional.com" with his son Callum Hale Thomson. It specialises in bespoke analogue filmmaking.

Published works

Major works

• Double Memory: Art and Collaboration by Rick Berry and Phil Hale
• A Monster at Christmas by Phil Hale and Thom Canty

• 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 King, 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 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.

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

External links

• Allen Spiegel Fine Arts
• Donald M. Grant Publisher, Inc
• National Portrait Gallery

References