Short Bio -
Born in Miami and raised on the edge of the Everglades in Homestead, Scott “SINC” Sinclair grew up hunting, fishing, and building backyard mini ramps in 1980’s Florida.
Sinc’s obsession with 80’s/mid 90’s skate culture really sparked a diehard passion for punk music and weird art. The vibe of that era taught SINC from an early age what an impact a bold style can make. That scene was electric and whether it was on his board or with his paints, SINC found freedom on wood desperately trying to emulate the bad assery he saw on the pages of magazines like Thrasher.
In 1996 Sinc went on to receive a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota Florida. After graduation Sinc fled the swamps and headed north in search of his career as a working artist in the big city. Sinc has bounced between Boston, New York, and San Francisco for 30 years, creating art and playing live music.
Sinc’s art has graced the pages of numerous magazines, from Playboy to the Progressive, video games such as Bioshock & Guitar Hero, as well as the album covers of many bands, such as Florida's own; Clairmel, Hot Water Music, & Less Than Jake to name a few. .
Sinc now lives in Rochester New York, living as a working artist alongside his wife Polixeni & their bulldog Wiggles. Sinc is a full time illustrator, game developer, and multimedia designer. You can find out more about SINC at his website, www.sincspace.com
2025 Series Intent
In the strictest sense, these paintings represent a greasing of my rusty wheels. This is some of the best painting I have done in a very long time. That said, the ideas I have for the future are greater than this nostalgia. It is time to move on.
On my Sleeve -
As an artist, I am heavily influenced by the crudeness and honesty of American folk art, old carnival signs, Bill Traylor, Joe Coleman, Wayne White, skate culture, Natas Kaupas, Ed Templeton, Robert Williams, Don Ed Hardy, Melinda Beck, Jordin Isip, Matt Mahurin, Barry McGee, cut and paste punk Art Chantry; 90’s New York City/New Haven hardcore, modern street art… the list goes on. These are a few of the highlights.
Peak EMO(tions) -
The themes I choose, for this Nostalgia Fueled EPIC, trend towards hard life lessons, self-reflection, and the untamed expression of youth.
The art is sarcastic, a bit silly as well as decorative. Don’t call it dark. I’m trying to finish the thought with color and comedy to create something weirdly beautiful and hopefully a tad RAD.
I’m reliving the salad days through a more colorful lens and a newfound pride for the love and craft of making real, one of a kind, physical art. Painting traditionally after such a long time away from the brush, has been educational, invigorating, and daunting. The comfort of remaking classic album art and settling on a theme quickly, allowed me to get stoked and get to work. My impetus for putting this series together is broken into multiple motives; overdue self-crit, greasing the wheels, and a momentary “fuck you” to technology. This has been such a therapeutic concept and one that has allowed me to ask myself “how would I treat these records now?” Planning this series has enabled me to spend renewed focus on the paint and the brush. My hands are slightly dusty but improve with each panel. Time away from the computer screen and this AI bullshit has been necessary.
Old Habits Die Hard -
The attention to detail in my older work was lacking. In the past I would treat the “supporting cast” with little care, using a scribble or ghosting technique to fade everything but the hero back. A cheap trick with good intent. With this new series I have awakened a love for the entire cast and want to use color and value rather than ghosting to emphasize importance. Every detail of this new work is intentional and the proof is in the rendering. Striking a balance between exposing the underpainting or making spontaneous marks and a desire for more technical polish has been very engaging. My mark making was more directed and deliberate this time around. Intentional rather than all encompassing or hasty. I hate how dirty, and quite frankly lazy, my old work is. Some folks may think I’m talking about elements of my style that they love and consider my fingerprint. Selfish as it may be, I am giving the paintings the attention they always deserved but never received.
All of the original HWM work is brown. Tell me I’m wrong? I can’t help but see the original covers as colorless “with new eyes open.” It makes me sad because this band and their history is anything but colorless. This is a series built from a color script that intends to push contrast and compliments. I would describe this color palette as a jolly rancher that fell on the ground, slightly sour and dusty. Pop color is a necessary part of the comedy in these tragedies.
Conquering Self Doubt; For me the process of starting a new painting has been very difficult. Sometimes it takes a second to remember how to go and that it is OK to just do something, anything. I have been working on defining a process, one that gives me the opportunity to properly organize a plan of attack, get to work with confidence, and enjoy finding the rhythm again. Pun intended.