Sandra Song

Most of [Dylan Gill](https://www.cohart.com/u/dylangillart)’s bold and vibrant pieces are conceived in his car while listening to music. He could be in the middle of fetching art supplies or making the drive to his studio in Hertfordshire, but if he hears the kind of moving, emotional lyricism that’s sends a shiver up your spine, his mind will also be overtaken by vivid images of human subjects — an [ex-lover](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/3349), a [rueful chess player](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/3348), or a [Northern Soul singer](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/6261) — rendered in geometric shapes, thick lines, and bright colors. 

Widely thought of as a [Cubist painter](https://www.cohart.com/news/what-is-cubsim), the 49-year-old artist is less focused on labels than themes of spirituality and individual perspective. Even so, he’s okay with “leaning into” Cubism’s reputation for being impactful, emotive, and a little erratic, as his own attention-grabbing works tend to be a swirl of subconscious influences ranging from Marc Chagall to music documentaries to the band Muse. So if you’re curious to know more about Gill’s unique creation process, you can read his Cohart Q&A below.

##### How would you describe your work?

I can’t describe my style and say it’s a single thing though. I've studied art history and looked into it for myself, and I've never really found anything. There's lots of similarities with different artists, but there’s no real word or movement for it. Not to say I’m totally original, but more confused, because I’ve always painted however I felt. 

It's all about different emotions, feelings, and normal responses to emotional situations, where you find yourself in a really good place or you replay the highs and the lows. There’s also the [spiritual side](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/6025) of things, not religious, but spiritual when it comes to energy. That's why I like bright colors to bring that feeling into the paintings. I like taking the colors and shapes, and fitting them together like a jigsaw. 

##### That’s probably why a lot of people consider you a Cubist painter, even though there are also a lot of modernist elements in your paintings. What else has influenced your style?

A lot of people think my biggest inspiration is Picasso, but he’s not. He’s one of the greatest artists to ever live, but I never really liked the dark colors of [Analytical Cubism](https://www.cohart.com/news/what-is-cubsim). Maybe some of the more colorful and later stuff, like when he worked off African art and wood sculptures when he was doing [proto-Cubism](https://www.cohart.com/news/what-is-cubsim).

There are lots of artists I've studied over the years that have just stayed in the back of my head and come out later. My work is more influenced by artists like Chagall, Léger, and artists like that, and there can be bits of Surrealism in some of the paintings. I also like the colors of Matisse, and the colors he brought into his post-Expressionism, and I went through a stage where I was studying Egyptian art. I love the shapes, the profiles, and the figurative poses, but it’s not in all of my work.

##### How do you come up with ideas? Are they from dreams, like in Surrealism?
 
Yeah, but [real, messed-up dreams](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/9682). I usually won't remember my dreams, and then I'll have a really crazy dream, and then I'll sit down and turn it into a painting. But most of the ideas I have come from music and lyrics, and it always happens while I'm driving my car. I'll be listening to music, and there'll be certain lyrics. And then I get an image in my head, and it paints a picture on its own. I really like Radiohead and Muse. I’ll also go back to older stuff and listen to Pink Floyd. 

##### So you mostly do Kid A-inspired paintings?

Yeah, yeah. _[laughs]_ There’s definitely some Radiohead pieces, like “[The Strain](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/9682)” from the song “[Street Spirit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCJblaUkkfc).” “[Comfortably Numb](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/13218)” inspired by the [Pink Floyd song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrOQC-zEog), “[Bittersweet Symphony](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/7815)” is a song by The Verve, and “[Northern Soul](https://www.cohart.com/artworks/6261)” was based on a [British musical movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jJ2TVb8WSA) with the same title.


##### What advice would you give to young artists that are trying to break into the industry?

So I had a young artist come in a little while ago to ask about frames and different canvases. While she was here though, she said that she put a painting on Instagram — and that it's one of the best — but it didn't go down. She didn't get much feedback, and so she gave up. But I told her that I was putting work on Instagram every day for three years with nothing, and then, all of a sudden, I had two, three galleries approach me. And then, [Cohart founder] Shyevin S’ng approached me as an agent during the fourth year. 

So you just have to keep going and going, working and focusing. Just work your back off and have tunnel vision until you get somewhere with it, and give yourself a realistic timeframe for success, like 5 or 10 years. Knowing the right people to get into a gallery is hard, so it takes time. I think the reason I was found was because I was placed in a few magazines, and on Instagram’s homepage. Sometimes, it's just word of mouth.

##### Who are some Cohart artists you’re currently obsessed with?

[Gabe Weis](https://www.cohart.com/u/gabe), who I've chatted with a few times. We've known each other for quite a while on the internet. There’s also [Ishita Banerjee](https://www.cohart.com/u/soulcurryart), [Randle Carter](https://www.cohart.com/u/randle), [Katrina Avotina](https://www.cohart.com/u/katrinaavotina), and [Paul-Emmet Costelloe](https://www.cohart.com/u/costelloe).

Dylan Gill uses Radiohead to inspire his Cubist-inspired work

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