Elijah Sylar

A detailed painting of a green eye with a bright green iris, outlined in neon green, with green slime dripping down from the lower lid. The background features swirling pink and red clouds.

An expressive portrait of a bald figure with closed eyes, painted in vibrant oranges, yellows, purples, and teals against a dark background. The brushstrokes are loose and emotive.

A surreal painting of two overlapping face silhouettes - one black, one colorful - sharing a single eye. A golden crown, rainbow, and cloud float above. Blue ocean waves crash below.

A vertical abstract painting featuring the numbers 7, 1, and 6 outlined in bold black, red, yellow, and green. A sideways pair of lips are in pink and yellow stands beside a small sprouting flower on a textured cream background.

I'll be showing my work at Aqui's "Orchidea" show this Friday, 1/23 - my final show before school takes over. If you'd like to stop by, see these paintings in person, and say hi before I go MIA, I'd love to see you there.

Details are on the last image in the slideshow!

#denverartist #denverart

Artist's studio with a large colorful toucan painting on a worktable, paint-splattered concrete floor, stacked paint cans, a white drafting chair, and a surreal eye mural on the left wall. Warm lamp light illuminates the space.

With my last semester of college approaching, I won't be active on here very often - so I wanted to say: if you're new here, stick around and follow because I'll be back.

And for those of you who love seeing what I'm working on, just hang tight.
Cheers to almost being done with my degree 🎓

Landscape painting of a turquoise lake surrounded by green and brown mountains under a blue sky with white clouds. Two large pale cartoon-style praise hands emerge from the water in the foreground. Blue geometric triangles peek from behind distant mountains.

From the emoji series - circa 2017.
I was exploring plein air painting around Colorado and then picking a representative emoji to slap on top.

A fun experiment in "disturbing" the pretty painting. 🙌

#PleinAir #EmojiArt #ColoradoArt #LandscapePainting #ContemporaryArt

Artist lounging on hardwood floor in a sunny studio space, smiling and leaning back casually with a coffee mug nearby. Surrounded by large colorful paintings featuring bold eyes, hands, and graphic pop-style imagery. Graffiti-style artwork covers the wall behind. Warm, relaxed energy.

Finishing up my last semester, navigating the job search on the engineering side, and leaning into my art practice more than ever.
If you've been thinking about grabbing a piece - now's a great time. Appreciate you all. Link in bio.

#SupportLivingArtists #ArtForSale #CommissionsOpen

Shaped painting of a wide-open mouth with hands pulling it open from above and below. Inside the mouth is a cosmic galaxy of warm oranges, reds, and yellows with splattered stars. White teeth frame the opening. Paint splatter surrounds the piece on white background.

This piece was fun to experiment with negative space.
Used it as stickers and prints for a while. Now the only remaining original is for sale on my website under Small Works.

#NegativeSpace #MouthArt #SurrealArt #GalaxyArt #ArtForSale

Shaped painting of a head split vertically - left side shows a realistic male face with closed eye against blue background, right side shows a skull with hollow black eye socket against deep magenta. Yellow paint drips accent the skull side.

Half skull, half person.
I've always wanted to turn this guy into a graphic novel. Wrote a series of poems that go along with his story too.
Maybe sometime soon.

#GraphicNovel #SurrealPortrait #ContemporaryArt #ComicArt #ArtistsOfInstagram

Painting on canvas with fiery orange textured background and vertical black and red stripes in the center. A stylized white eye with detailed pupil floats in the middle. Two 3D geometric shapes — a triangular pyramid and a diamond prism — rendered in white and black float on either side.

Much older piece - but cool to look back on.
This was the beginning of exploring geometric forms. Playing with dimension and layers.
You can see where a lot of my current work started here.

#GeometricArt #EyeArt #AbstractArt #DimensionalArt #LayeredArt

Shaped painting of a pink skull with jaw open, screaming, against a yellow explosive background. Layered borders of black, green, and cyan create a topographic effect. Comic book style with high contrast colors. Small wooden box with red linework in bottom right corner.

Exploration in Prisma markers.
Got really into the Ghost Rider comic series for a while and wanted to capture that high-contrast comic color energy.
Still one of my favorite experiments in medium.

#PrismaMarkers #ComicArt #GhostRider #MarkerArt #HighContrast

Painting of an upward-reaching hand in warm pink and red tones, surrounded by handwritten poetry text. Words include "Stills," "Parts," "City lights," "Moving in motion," "Sublime," "Divine." Small painted flowers, leaves, and sun icons decorate the margins. Yellow highlights and drips throughout.

My favorite combination is finding the words visually to pair with the poem. That's what I love about this piece - the imagery working alongside the poem itself.

#VisualPoetry #SpokenWord #PoetryAndArt #HandArt #WordsAndArt

Zine front cover featuring a hand outlined in black with warm watercolor splatters in pinks, oranges, and blues. Bold handwritten text reads "Healing Isn't Breaking" with "A Zine - Camp" signed in the corner.

Zine back cover showing a hand outlined in black ink filled with chaotic warm-toned paint splatters in pinks, oranges, reds, and blues against a pale background. Loose, expressive energy with paint drips extending beyond the hand's edges.

Front and back cover — that's the whole zine. Made it about a decade ago. Forgot it existed until recently. Might make something like it again soon.

#ZineArt #HandmadeZine #ArtZine #ZineCulture #PoetryAndArt #VisualPoetry #AnalogArt #ArtistsOfInstagram #PaintedZine #FromTheArchives #DIYZine

Zine page showing a painted figure's torso in pale gray-white against a moody magenta and purple background. The chest cavity is hollow with dark burgundy liquid pouring and dripping downward. Small nails visible on either side of the opening. Visceral, surreal imagery.

Found this in the old zine - same concept I'm working on now, a decade later. Same feeling told a new way. Excited to share where it's going.

#ZineArt #SurrealArt #DarkArt #FigurativeArt #HandmadeZine #ArtEvolution #ContemporaryArt #ArtistsOfInstagram #PaintedZine #AnalogArt #VisceralArt

Zine page featuring a painted anatomical heart outlined in black ink against a dreamy watercolor wash of pinks, blues, and purples. Small radiating lines around the heart suggest pulsing or life. Textured, layered paint visible throughout.

I've always been drawn to anatomical features - maybe even more than outward ones.

There's something about the universality of it. Everyone has a heart. Under the surface, they all look relatively the same.

#ZineArt #AnatomicalArt #HeartArt #SurrealArt #FigurativeArt #HandmadeZine #HumanAnatomy

Zine page with a handwritten poem surrounding a painted geode-like circle — pale gray outer ring with a textured pink/mauve center. The poem discusses transformation from dust to gem and rebuilding oneself.

Last poem from the zine. The hopeful one.
"Turning dust to dirt, to rock to gem. I am being built again with my own hands this time around."

#PoetryAndArt #ZineArt #HandwrittenPoetry #VisualPoetry #RawPoetry #HealingPoetry #PoetryCommunity #ArtistsOfInstagram #CreativeWriting #AnalogArt

Hand holding a zine page with a handwritten poem on a pale blue background. Golden yellow paint drips frame the left and right edges, with a painted yellow rope tied in a bow running vertically down the center of the page. The poem discusses heartbreak and self-accountability.

The theme of this is heartbreak
But the subject is not you.
Do not flatter yourself,
Your hand did not assist
In the tying of
This heart to the train
Tracks of myself.
My own hubris held
One finger on thread
While my anxious mind
Tied the bow.
This wreckage left
Upon the tracks,
Is only mine
To own.

Hand holding open a zine with two pages. Left page has a blue watercolor wash background with a handwritten poem in black text about forgiveness and poetry as a lifeline. Right page features a drawing of red lips with a colorful grid pattern spilling out like a tongue, with the text "I was never any good at solving puzzles" curved around it.

"Don't confuse these truths for hate.
Don't take my words as revenge.
I forgive you now, I forgave you then.
These poems are my lifeline,
my warm hands pressed against cold heart.
These poems pull together
all you've pulled apart."

#PoetryArt #ZineArt #HandwrittenPoetry #VisualPoetry #SurrealArt

Hand holding a zine page featuring a painted red and yellow eye shape with the poem written around and through it in black handwritten text. The poem speaks of walking away, freedom from deceit, and finding peace.

Rejecting you in pursuit of truth is the best decision I have ever made.
A life in which I am free, without these shackles of deceit, is worth leaving you in your self-induced misery.
As I walk away in pursuit of truth.

#PoetryArt #ZineArt #HandwrittenPoetry #VisualPoetry #WalkingAway #SpokenWord

Hand holding open a zine page featuring a painted mouth with pale gray-white lips and visible teeth against a deep burgundy background with white paint splatter. The lower lip drips downward in a melting effect. Neon green border visible at edges.

Zine page showing a painted hand with elongated fingers and long dripping pale nails against a green splattered background. Partial view of the dripping mouth painting visible on the left page.

Features have always been my thing. A mouth. A hand. They carry narrative even apart from the whole. I have new versions of both of these now - wild to see where it started.
#ZineArt #HandmadeZine #SurrealArt #ArtEvolution #FigurativeArt #DarkArt #VisualNarrative #PaintedZine #AnalogArt

Hand holding open a handmade zine against a white background. Left page features a deep green painted background with a black dripping silhouette and a single detailed turquoise eye peering through. Right page is a dense, colorful composition in reds, magentas, and yellows filled with intricate doodles, faces, eyes, and abstract forms layered over each other.

Zine page 2. Two paintings side by side - doodle chaos meets drips. Style evolves but some things stay the same.

#ZineArt #HandmadeZine #ArtEvolution #DoodleArt #DrippingPaint #SurrealArt #MixedMediaArt #VisualJournal #ArtistSketchbook #FromTheArchives #ZineCulture #AbstractArt #CreativeProcess

Hand holding open a handmade zine against a white background. Left page features a surrealist red-outlined eye with green tears dripping onto a grid pattern, with handwritten text reading "It's all a dream... Don't make it a nightmare." Right page filled with dense black ink line drawings of abstract shapes, hands, and dreamlike imagery.

Found an old zine I made ~10 years ago. Poems and paintings from a different chapter. Sharing pages throughout the week. First up: "It's all a dream... Don't make it a nightmare."
#ZineArt #HandmadeZine #PoetryAndArt #SurrealArt #ArtZine #IllustratedPoetry #AnalogArt #ZineCulture #VisualPoetry

One of my favorite things about digital work is being able to remix my physical pieces. The background here is a splatter painting I did separately. Timelapse for the process nerds! #digitalpainting #digitalart #abstractart #splatterart #mixedmediaart
#artvideo #arttimelapse #digitalartprocess

Artist seen from below and behind, painting a large canvas mounted on a white wall. The painting depicts a figure's torso with a teal splatter-textured garment and warm ochre skin tones. The artist wears a black t-shirt and has "LOVE" tattooed across his fingers as he applies paint with a brush. Bright natural light illuminates the scene.

WIP - an ocean bursting from the chest. Dalí surrealism meets Pollock chaos. What we carry inside, finally breaking through.

#WIPWednesday #SurrealArt #DaliInspired #PollockStyle #AbstractExpressionism #DarkSurrealism #ContemporaryPainting #EmergingArtist #TextureArt #FigurativeArt

Close-up of a painting in progress showing a figure's torso wearing a teal splatter-textured vest over a mustard-yellow garment. A hand with "LOVE" tattooed across the fingers grips a paintbrush, actively working on the ochre tones. Heavy texture and layered paint visible throughout.

WIP close-up. Trying tachisme - bold strokes, no second-guessing. Trust the hand. More coming this week.

#WorkInProgress #FauvistInfluence #BoldStrokes #AbstractExpressionism #TextureArt #PaintingProcess #ContemporaryArt #MixedMediaArt #ArtCloseUp #StudioWIP #TrustTheProcess #EmergingArtist

Artist in black Meat Loaf t-shirt and paint-splattered gray cargo pants working on a canvas mounted on a wall. He holds a paintbrush in his raised right hand and a small container of turquoise paint in his left. Visible tattoos on hands and forearms. Art supply organizer hanging in the background.

Finals done. 3/4 grades in. Hardest semester of my life — survived it with a paintbrush in one hand and a keyboard in the other. You don't have to pick one lane. #ArtistLife #ContemporaryArt #CreativeProcess #SoftwareEngineer #AbstractArt #ArtAndTech #PainterLife #MultidisciplinaryArtist

one more week of finals. almost there.
tomorrow i’m showing with Aqui Art Show - four pieces at 50% off what they go for online. my thank you to everyone who shows up in person.
- DM for more info! -

#art #denverart #artshow #originalart #acrylicpainting #surrealart #abstractart #artforsale

Elijah smiles at the camera, surrounded by artwork and a painted wall.

Missed my last show? I’m back with @aqui.artshow this Friday, Dec 5th for the Holiday Show.
Sharing the pieces I’m bringing throughout the week. Hope to see you there.
elijah-sylar.com

716. The angel number that keeps showing up in my life.

Every time I see it, it's a reminder to look closer at my relationships and lean into real connection.

20" × 10" acrylic. $425. Only one exists.

DM me if this piece is calling you. DM for Denver prices, ships worldwide.

elijah-sylar.com 🌸

Can you find all 4 TVs hidden in this piece?
"4 T.V.s" - Micron pen on gessoed wood panel.

BLACK FRIDAY: This piece + everything in my shop is 20% off today. Link in bio.

#art #doodleart #penandink #originalart #artistsonbluesky #blackfriday #artsale #artistsonbluesky #blackfridaysale

traveled to Alaska to begin my transition. once a month - 6-hour bus from Denali to Anchorage to get my hormone levels tested. looking back, i think this is where my fascination with skulls, bones, and dead things took root.
#transartist #queerartist #alaska #denali #skullart #foundart

home. 2017 to 2020.
the road gave me freedom to become whoever i was, wherever i was. scenery constantly changing - just like my internal world.

#vanlife #artist #transartist #queerartist #nomadlife #roadtrip #artistsonbluesky #bskyart #jeeplife #creativejourney #transformation #artistlife

asheville, north carolina. one of my favorite things about those years on the road: things just fell into place. barns, hostels, garages, outdoor setups, borrowed corners. there was always space to create. just had to find it.
#art #artist #studiolife #transartist #ashevilleart #artistsonbluesky