Andrew Englander’s distorted paintings offer a new perspective on the still-life genre

Looking at Andrew Englander’s paintings, there’s sure to be a few things you recognise from your daily life: a pair of Nike trainers, a Bic lighter, an Apple iPhone and a pair of toenail clippers, for example. What isn’t so recognisable, however, is the distorted perspective of Andrew’s pieces. This is because, while Andrew paints scenes from the everyday, he compresses and distorts them to “mimic our own various mental distortions – the way a memory can change in subtle ways every time you recall it or simply how your mood can influence the way you see”, he says.

Taking immediate inspiration from the things he loves – books, music, skateboarding and basketball – Andrew’s creativity is triggered by “things that can transport you to other worlds”. To make his mesmerising paintings, he uses a hybrid of digital and analogue approaches. First, he utilises an iPad app to make gestural sketches, to which he then traces and paints with acrylics and airbrush. We simply can’t get enough of his wobbly scenes.