Short Films

Peel–The Unraveling of Self

A Living Portrait by Philip Straub

PEEL is a cinematic meditation on identity, memory, and the quiet layers we shed across a lifetime. Originating from one of Straub’s fine art portraits, the piece evolves from a single still image into a living performance—where form fractures, emotions surface, and the inner world becomes visible.

Through painterly composition, symbolic visual language, choreography, and a hybrid creative workflow, Straub transforms the original artwork into a visceral narrative about loss and rediscovery. The film explores the tension between who we believe we are and the deeper truths that emerge when our outer layers begin to peel away.

Part of his ongoing Living Portrait Series, PEEL blends the craftsmanship of traditional art with emerging motion tools to create a cinematic expression rooted in fine art—intimate, luminous, and emotionally alive.

From Imagination to Motion

Philip Straub creates cinematic short films that begin where his paintings do—on the traditional or digital canvas.
Each piece originates from his original artwork, evolving from hand-crafted compositions, palettes, and symbolic language shaped over decades of traditional practice. Through a hybrid workflow that blends painting, photography, AI-assisted motion tools, and detailed post-production, Philip transforms still images into living performances—portraits that breathe, unravel, and transform.

His growing body of work, including the Living Portrait Series and narrative shorts like Peel, explores memory, identity, myth, and emotional landscapes through a signature visual style rooted in fine art. The result is a form of cinematic expression where paintings become films, and inner worlds become visible.

Emergence - Living Portrait

Emergence is part of the Living Portraits series — cinematic interpretations of transformation and the human condition by artist and world-builder Philip Straub.

Each piece begins as an original digital painting, then evolves through AI-assisted filmmaking into motion and emotion — exploring what it means to awaken, to face the storm, and to rise.

The lyrics were written years ago for an acoustic guitar song by Philip Straub, reimagined here as a visual meditation on self-evolution and inner rebirth.

Utherworlds: Origins

Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.

Futuristic digital art of a city with bright orange and yellow colors, large windows, and hanging cables. Credit card art by Philip Straub

An iPhone 13 Pro with a mountain landscape phone case in its box, Apple AirPods in a case, and the iPhone box with an image of the phone in a new color.

Futuristic, dystopian cityscape at sunset with spaceships flying overhead. Credit card art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art.

Living room with a colorful mural of large yellow flowers, a sunflower, and a ladybug on a white sofa and chair.

Cozy living room with a large mural of a winter cityscape decorated with holiday lights, a white sofa with pillows, a wooden chair, a side table, and a rug. Wall mural art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art.

VISA debit card with a rural landscape background featuring a windmill, green fields, a barn, cows, and a sunset sky with clouds. Credit card art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art.

Two boxes of 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles with colorful, fantasy mushroom and garden scenes. Philip Straub puzzles. Art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art. Meet the Imaginaries

VISA debit card with a desert landscape background featuring canyon formations and a cloudy sky. Art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art. Credit card art by Philip Straub.

A digital art depiction of a city street painted on a set of wireless earbuds and a smartwatch against a black background.

A bedroom decorated with a fantasy-themed mural of a dark castle, twisted black trees, and flying creatures on the wall behind the bed. Wall mural art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art. Utherworlds by Philip Straub.

A 1000-piece puzzle box featuring a colorful, animated forest scene with oversized flowers, mushrooms, and Dragonflies, in a whimsical, cartoon style. Philip Straub puzzles. Art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art. Meet the Imaginaries

Living room with a mural of a lush jungle with tall trees and dense foliage, white sofa with mustard and patterned pillows, small wooden side tables, and a wooden slatted partition to the right, leading to a bedroom. Wall mural art by Philip Straub.

Award Winning Art. Multimedia Reach.

A partial list of clients includes: Softmotion, Brewster Wallcoverings, Atlas Wallcoverings, American Traditional, Satchi, Martin Design, David Textiles, Gander Mountain, Skinit, Murals Your Way, Endless Games, The Canadian Group, Sunsout, Ceaco, Heaven and Earth, Magic Murals, Leanin Tree, Ravensburger, Card.com, Gelaskins and others — reflecting the broad appeal and versatility of Philip Straub’s visual storytelling.

An e-reader displaying a fantasy scene with a woman in a flowing red dress standing on a rocky cliff above clouds, with a stormy sky and birds flying in the background. Art by Philip Straub. License Philip Straub art. Gelaskins by Philip Straub.

Colorful fantasy forest mural with large mushrooms, butterflies, vibrant flowers, and glowing city-like windows on grassy hills, decorated in a children’s room with a teal sofa, bunny plush pillow, white rocking horse, and paper bag with cartoon eyes

Futuristic debit card featuring a surreal green-tinted face with closed eyes and glowing red accents, surrounded by glowing butterflies and flowers in a mystical forest setting.

Living room with a large landscape mural of mountains, river, and greenery on the wall behind a white sofa with an orange pillow, and a wooden side table; additional seating includes a beige armchair with wooden frame, and a view into a bedroom throu

Smartphone with a reflective screen resting on a cityscape-themed surface.

Visual Storytelling with Commercial Power

Licensing opportunities are available across multiple original properties, including the award-winning Utherworlds, the character-driven Meet the Imaginaries, and an extensive catalog of digital and traditional artwork. With content that spans a wide range of genres and visual styles, the collection is built for flexibility — offering licensors a proven foundation for developing products, campaigns, and branded experiences that stand out in competitive global markets

Let’s Connect.

Whether you're interested in licensing Utherworlds™, collaborating on Meet the Imaginaries™, or exploring other creative partnerships, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and let’s bring bold ideas to life.

pstraub73@gmail.com
(860) 830-2131