Louise O’Brien

My practice considers the small spaces in everyday life that are often overlooked. They are hidden unless purposefully looked for and are not habitable due to their small scale. We normally perceive such spaces to be something to look through rather than at. In the everyday our attention is on physical objects, yet in this work the focus is the void between them. Through painting this subject, attention is brought to these small spaces, providing an alternative perception of them.

Playing with the idea of scale, the works depict different small spaces painted on a large scale from a low point perspective. They now seem habitable as the relationship between viewer and space is altered. A focal point in the distance of the compositions is important in the communication of the nature of the space. As the eye is drawn to this point through the work, an understanding of the depth and shape of the space, as well as the presence of light and shadow in it, is communicated.

The material qualities of paint allow for the subject to be manipulated through the use of colours and brush marks. Surface texture is communicated through brush marks while paint density records the interaction of light with different surfaces. The use of irregular colours removes a level of familiarity to compositional elements, distorting the identity of the space. Therefore, greater attention must be given to forms in the work, as they act like clues to the identity of the spaces and their locations.

Instagram:       @louiseobrien_art


Louise O’Brien
Space 1. Oil on canvas. 36 x 24 inch. 2020

Space 2. Oil on canvas. 40 x 28 inch. 2020

Space 3. Oil on canvas. 40 x 30 inch. 2020

Space 4. Oil on canvas. 40 x 30 inch. 2020