Unpolished and Frank: Art by Ronan Boyle
Artist Ronan Boyle is a self-taught artist currently based in Vancouver, BC. Ronan’s art style borrows from punk and street art movements, finding an aesthetic that’s deliberately unpolished and frank.
I especially enjoy the aesthetic of Ronan’s series Concrete. The color scheme in these works is subdued or nonexistent, leaning more into black and white monochromes. In our previous feature we looked at the punk and DIY aesthetic that Ronan adheres to throughout his portfolio. The artist upholds a somewhat “lowbrow” aesthetic in many of his works, both in terms of style, and substrate. In Concrete, naturally, he utilizes concrete, calling to mind graffiti and other forms of street art.
The front page of Ronan's website, www.ronanboyleart.com
In Smithrite, the artist creates a certain aesthetic tension between gallery and street art by using a template of a dumpster as his starting point. By emphasizing the text of the Smithrite logo the artist makes the surface a conscious choice, rather than a choice of opportunity or necessity.