Phillip Ayriss spends a lot of time in scrap yards and waxes lyrical about the "wonder, drama and romance" he sees there.
| 听 |  | A decomposing car
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His paintings capture these unique places where machines go to rot. The pictures he produces are vivid, almost inviting the viewer to taste the rust and bent metal on show.
Online gallery
See a gallery of his work by pressing the images button below:
The atmosphere of scrap yards
| 听 |  | Nature taking over the shed
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Introducing his paintings, Phillip said: "The work comes from my fascination with engineering.
"Visiting scrap yards, soaking up the atmosphere is the primary influence of the painting."
Phillip used to be a mechanic, having trained at Hinckley Technical College and Coventry University, and so his painting is an natural development.
He said: "I have an interest in ageing machinery, like rust, dirt and oil. This is combined with an interest in the way the manmade object eases itself into the natural environment, like when you see an old car in a field with a tree going through the middle of it."
Positive imagery
| 听 |  | A car in a scrap yard
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Phillip said he doesn't want the pictures to be seen as negative images of consumerism and machinery.
He said: "The subject matter might be misinterpreted as a statement on the fact we live in a throwaway society, which portrays a negative view.
"This is not true; the use of colour and the desire to capture the wonder, drama and romance makes the work a celebration of the subject matter."
A range of influences
| 听 |  | One of Phillip's industrial scenes
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Phillip said he looks to a number of places for inspiration. You're still more likely to find him in a junk yard than a gallery, though.
He said:"The influences for the work are extensive, from film and music to the art of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Super-Realists. The greatest influence actually comes from an interest in the subject matter and visiting scrap yards..."
Long may he continue to roam amongst the forgotten metal.
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