Contemporary Surreal Paintings with Bold Expression and Emotional Impact

 This is surreal art with a difference, created to intrigue, unsettle and invite you into another kind of world. When you buy here, you purchase directly from me, the artist. I ship worldwide free of charge, with a guarantee of authenticity and hassle-free returns.

What makes surreal painting special?

Surrealism places recognisable shapes or objects into unreal or impossible situations. Forms may be distorted, reshaped or shown in unexpected colours. The result is a kind of painting that carries emotion in a deeper, stranger way — blending disquiet, humour and thoughtfulness.

These surreal paintings are created to fire your imagination. They are not decorative  - they offer you a new way of seeing the world — a journey of mystery, curiosity and unexpected meaning that may not be apparent with just one glance.

Geometry and Surrealism

You may notice the influence of geometric structure in many of these pieces. Geometry helps me express  tension and wonder inside surreal imagery. Sharp angles and geometric forms draw the viewer into the work, creating both unpredictability and places to rest the eye.
Surreal structures often emerge on their own, as if they are waiting to be discovered. The combination of geometry and surrealism fascinates me — I simply love the results.

Original and One of a Kind

Every surreal painting here is original - a unique statement guaranteed. No copies or reproductions exist anywhere.

My Approach to Contemporary Surreal Painting

Surrealism, for me, is not about fantasy for its own sake. It is about expressing tension, memory, humour and concern. My contemporary surreal paintings are bold and deliberate. I am not seeking softness or dreamlike escape - I want impact and meaning.

Colour is used with strength. Form is controlled but never predictable. Each painting balances structure and emotion so that the viewer feels both curiosity and recognition. Surreal imagery becomes a way of revealing reality - it removes the disguises that can give us comfort.

Three recent surreal paintings with a message.

You have to work at sorting the meaning in these pieces and maybe you will never figure it out - that's my intention.

Conflicting messages in the two pieces of surrealism below.

Is there conflict? Possibly - the one on the right is called On the Wire which is a term from the First World War

Surreal paintings for sale inspired by a visit to a gallery.

It was empty and quiet but resonated something I have attempted to capture in these two paintings. Is it quiet solitude or perhaps cold emptiness - you probably see something quite different. I love minimalism as well as surrealism and these paintings could be described as minimal but to be honest does it matter? 

Femininity and Surrealism

These two surreal paintings are clearly of the female figure, perhaps a celebration of some kind, joy for certain I think.

Make Your own Interpretation

Two surreal paintings below - what are they about? Falling and rising - one cannot happen without the other

Surreal paintings about polluting our planet.

Surrealism is so right for the subject of pollution. The agony of the planet and the wanton destruction would be surreal if it was not so tragic. A painting can express horror and disgust from viewing it for just a few seconds, I want people to see how I feel about polluting our planet hence these paintings. The slider below will show you those I have done so far.

Why I paint surrealism

I did not set out to paint surreal images. They emerged naturally. I found myself taking real situations and shifting them slightly beyond reality — not into fantasy for its own sake, but into something more revealing. Once that process began, I could not stop.

Symbolism became an essential part of my language, alongside long-standing influences such as geometric abstraction and minimalist abstract paintings. My surrealism is not extreme distortion. I am not interested in deforming shapes for spectacle or whimsy. What matters to me is content — the underlying message and emotional tension carried within the image.

My Purpose as a Painter

My aim is always the same: to place a powerful emotion inside the artwork. Others may paint what they see; I try to paint what I feel about something. Colour, structure and composition become vehicles for that feeling. I am not alone in believing that emotion can exist without literal explanation. Rothko, for example, could stir deep response through colour alone. In my own work, surreal imagery becomes a way of intensifying that emotional charge rather than disguising it. I am not alone of course and the list starts with Rothko who could stir feelings just by colour. My blog post Getting Emotion into a Paintings expands on this point.