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Classic art goes 8-bit in New York in Adam Lister's watercolour paintings

Based in Beacon, New York, artist Adam Lister specialises in paintings and prints inspired by the style of retro video games.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

With echoes of Cubism, Lister's 8-bit art - which includes drawings, paintings, and 3D printing - deliberately avoids all use of diagonal or curved lines. Instead it combines the minimal, mathematic aesthetic of pixellated graphics with the soft transparency of watercolour paint to create something quite unique.

It's all infused with a warm splash of nostalgia, not only for old video games but for the compositions themselves, many of which will appear familiar to the art aficionado. Lister's work is currently on show at the Catalyst Gallery and will run until 26 March.

Pixelated watercolour portrait of a figure made from rectangular blocks in shades of red, blue, orange, grey and beige, inspired by 8-bit video game graphics
Adam Lister's pixelated watercolour interpretation of da Vinci's The Last Supper, rendered in 8-bit style with geometric blocks of colour
Adam Lister's pixelated watercolour painting featuring blocky sections of greens, browns, greys and blues arranged in a geometric grid pattern reminiscent of retro video game graphics
Pixelated watercolour painting of a suited figure in a top hat with a red tie, rendered in muted greys, greens and earth tones in 8-bit style
Pixelated watercolour figure in white and grey tones standing against a tiled architectural background, rendered in 8-bit style by Adam Lister
Adam Lister's pixelated watercolour interpretation of a classical reclining figure in muted earth tones and whites, rendered entirely from rectangular blocks without curves or diagonals
Adam Lister's 8-bit watercolour painting of a tree composed of pixelated blocks in blues, greens, browns and blacks with small coloured squares throughout
Pixelated watercolour painting of a figure with black hair and white clothing composed of rectangular blocks in shades of orange, brown, tan and cream, referencing classical art in 8-bit style
Adam Lister's pixelated watercolour interpretation of a classical artwork, rendered in muted greens, browns, creams and blues using angular 8-bit aesthetic
Adam Lister's pixelated watercolour interpretation of a classical interior scene with geometric shapes in muted greens, beiges and terracotta tones
Abstract watercolour painting composed of pixelated rectangular blocks in shades of red, green, blue, yellow, pink and brown arranged to suggest an urban cityscape
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