This season, Nathan Preston, the artist known as Preston Paperboy, caught the attention of Bilt for his tenets of portraiture and abstract expressionism. Using paints and charcoals, Preston Paperboy explores the themes of love, loss, envy, and greed. Preston Paperboy is a true modern artist. His work is self-described as “neo-expressionist” artwork which is inspired by his urban surroundings, pop culture, and his view on the current state of the world. 

Each piece of work is adorned with two trademarks - the left eye, which represents the soul, and the outline of a frowning face with dollar signs imprinted on the eyes. The “Smiler” logo, a cartoon face with a resigned smile, a single teardrop falling down its cheek, and a pair of dollar signs for eyes. The young artist has explained that the latter acts as “a reminder to not let wealth or fame cloud his vision as an artist.” The logo goes back to where his work originally started. It started with sketches and doodles, then transformed into larger works on canvas and now oil paintings.

 A little bit abstract, there’s no one box that we can categorize Preston’s work into. There’s a lot of cross-contamination with mediums and a calming sense of chaos on his canvases. 

“I’m not great at talking or writing so for me, it’s the visual language that expresses emotions and memories.” 

A lot of the inspiration behind his work comes from his fiancé, especially her eyes. The eyes tell a story and the visual poetry can be felt through Preston’s work. “There’s less textural language involved and that invokes a thought so a viewer might have their own interpretation of what they’re looking at,” says Preston of his works.  “If part of my work triggers something in your brain, that means it’s working.”  

Preston created three unique pieces of work for the Bilt Collection. 

Underdog

The Wall Friend series is a collection of works on 24x24” canvas. This series focuses on a stripped-bare version of Preston’s larger works, a middle ground between larger and more layered works and his study works on paper. Wall friend 014 encapsulates all the usual ingredients found in the series, notably the mixture of eyes; both realistic and doodled. 

WF014 is encased in the lower left-hand corner with a heavy body of greens with an etched rain cloud and hollow rainbow entitled “underdog”. This piece symbolizes the beauty of building from the ground up and gaining momentum from the back. It is a map to be connected by the viewer in the spirit of victory. 

There is the excitement of noise and calm of silence found in this piece. Bilt is a brand created for people — not just top-tier humans —and is an opportunity, for those watching to make gains where others haven’t yet found it.

Fatale

The Fatale series is a collection of expressionist female portraits, some more refined than others. The Fatale series allows Preston to explore more of a ‘complete’ painting. 

“As seen in this piece, I cannot help but detach features through mark making or color distortion,” says Preston. “‘Fatale’ is an attractive or seductive woman who dominates. It also comes from the train of thought where women are more powerful than we know - which is true.” 

There is a feeling of power to this piece, yet it feels new, paint is washed and areas are yet to evolve, likely into something much more powerful. These triggers relate to the feeling you have as a Bilt Member and being part of the culture within it.

Everything

Everything was a wild card piece. “I like to create these every now and again, where I escape from the structure of the process involved in a series.,” he says. 

The most prominent part of this work is the mask of ‘Bilt blue’ wrapped over the canvas. This is like the glue that holds everything together. ‘I have everything’ derived from an earlier piece where ‘I need more’ was labeled in close proximity, like a subconscious conversation in your head. 

This time, there is no bite back, this highlights the confidence of having Bilt in your corner. (or in your pocket in more literal terms) For me, How I perceive the Bilt community, is an image of someone with great financial solidity and calm confidence. In this piece there are a pair of eyes, one colour, one black and white, both painted, looking into the distance, no pressure. The work is peaceful and bold.