Culturalee paid a visit to the studio of hyper-realist artist Oscar Eagle and what a revelation it was. At just 22, Eagle is something of a Gen Z Renaissance man, a self-taught painter with the crisp, graphic clarity of Michael Craig-Martin and the joyful Pop Art spirit of Peter Blake, who can also pick up a guitar and spin a melody out of thin air.
Eagle composes his paintings the way he composes music: as a symphony of colour, rhythm, and emotion. His retro aesthetic and old-soul intuition shine through in his portraits of people’s homes, where musical icons – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ella Fitzgerald – become visual touchstones of personality and passion. He creates portraits of people by visiting their houses and depicting objects that represent their personalities, such as favourite artworks, musical instruments and musical icons. One of Eagle’s standout portraits depicts the world of sculptor John Somerville, known for his busts of iconic musicians such as Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.
His style is hyper-real, colorful and he uses oil paints to create finely detailed works on wood, which suits his flat, 2-dimensional pop art style. His works hang in Corinthia Hotel’s private dining room, and he is working on a commission for Rolls Royce.
One standout work, a vibrant portrait of a house adorned with The Beatles in full 60s psychedelia, was auctioned last week week in aid of children’s charity Variety. Eagle’s talent is capturing the attention of music lovers and collectors alike, and for good reason. Keep your eye on Oscar Eagle. His star is rising fast, and witnessing his journey feels like watching something truly special take flight.
Culturalee visited Eagle in the studio offered to him by Addison Lee founder Sir John Griffin, where he paints daily and makes music. Eagle met Griffin at a birthday party in Regent’s Park, and the Knighted Entrepreneur began mentoring him after spotting his stellar talent.
Who are your inspirations that influence you when you’re creating an artwork – whether it’s musicians or artists?
From early in my life I’ve been playing the guitar and always picked up songs quickly. I can put on pretty much any tune you’ve heard and jump right in without having to look at the chords or melody. I wanted to make a piece of art that was ‘Capturing Sound’ so that’s when I made my first piece. This had everything related to me. My favourite painting, one of my favourite Musicans and guitarists Jimi Hendrix in the front, and the guitars I play. There was many things I enjoyed at that period of time in my life I just threw in that piece.
So the beginning of my art journey was heavily inspired by music. My first 10 pieces I called the ‘Capturing Sound’ collection as they all had relation to music in one way or another. The big names like Hendrix, Mark Knofler, Clapton, and Gilmour have really had a big part of that. More so than inspiration from other artists in a painting form actually. If I had to pin point exactly what lead to my inspiration it’s fully music, and the house my parents grew up in, every wall has either guitars hung up or album covers on the wall with old vinyl. It’s really 60/70s rock and roll.
What is a typical day like in your studio?
In the studio I usually get in around midday and stay late. I go with the flow when I paint, jumping in between playing the guitar and painting to just switch it up. I use a loop pedal a lot when I play the guitar that adds layers to what I do. This means I can make a tune up on the spot. I like to try and match the energy of how I’m feeling in that moment and get it out with playing the guitar. Using a loop pedal I can build a whole melody up so it can be very cleansing, and I feel I get a lot of emotions out by doing it.
You’re working on a portrait of a director in Paris. Can you give a bit of insight into how you are constructing the portrait, and what elements of her personality you are representing through objects?
Yes, so at the moment I’m putting a piece together based of a great character in Paris. She has a very unique and fun energy that I wanted to capture through art. One massive thing I always like to add when I make a piece out of the ‘portraits of the soul’ is that I tie a lot of my personality into it as well. I try and find items in the place that also catch my eye, things I’d have in my home. Album covers I also like to listen too or think look great. So the fact im already resonating with the things I’ve picked out and on top they are sentimental things that relate to the person there is great.
Overall the new piece based in Paris, has a super 70s feel to it inside the apartment. The girl who lives there – Anais – has a very 70s style, and I feel the mix and match of art and objects ties her personality into the piece nicely. It’s a nice mix of personality’s in one piece. Featured in the painting are things Anais has had since she was a young girl, which were given to her by her mum, and things she remembers collecting throughout her life. There’s a French Blueberry cake nicely sitting in the background that we shared when I was there. It’s a subtle detail that’ll be added but I find that a really nice edition to the piece knowing that’s something we shared when I put the scene together.
You’re self taught. Were you a musician first?
Initially I was a swimmer. I was training every single day with the Olympics on my mind, and I had the Olympic coach teaching me. Then Covid hit and it messed up my schedule. I began doing a lot of meditation with my friend, and in that time I thought music would be the thing that worked for me. So I started playing the guitar a lot more. I’ve been playing the guitar since I was seven. The music is very natural. You can give me a key in any style, any tempo, any genre, and I can jump right into it. So that inspired my first artwork. It has a John Lennon sculpture in it, a chess board and guitars on the wall. It was a really musical piece. Art didn’t really work for me at school, and I realised that’s because I wasn’t painting something I was interested in. So I thought I would paint something I’m interested in and it worked.
One of your new paintings was recently auctioned off for Children’s charity Variety Club. Can you give a bit of insight into the portrait?
My piece ‘Abbey Road’ is based on a really quirky character that I know, and things that are sentimental to him. I call it a portrait of the soul, because it captures as much of the personality of his character as I could in the painting. It’s got his guitar, things he’s collected on trips whilst travelling around the world, his favourite album covers and bottle of wine. So it’s got a little bit of his life in the painting.
Where did the idea come from to paint portraits of people after visiting their houses, and depicting them through special objects and things that have meaning to those people?
I used to be a property photographer, going to people’s houses and taking photos of their property before they moved out. If I got along with them and had coffee and chat, I would say that they couldn’t have a photo of their old house in their new one, but a sketch of it would be nice. Then I realised I could make it a lot more personal through a painting, where I pick out things that mean something to them and represent their lifestyle. Even through colour. I really like to think everyone has a colour. It’s like energy – if energy was colour, then everyone would mix.
All Images Courtesy of Oscar Eagle. Find out more about Oscar Eagle here.
So the beginning of my art journey was heavily inspired by music. My first 10 pieces I called the ‘Capturing Sound’ collection as they all had relation to music in one way or another. The big names like Hendrix, Mark Knofler, Clapton, and Gilmour have really had a big part of that. More so than inspiration from other artists in a painting form actually.”
Oscar Eagle
