Róisín O'Sullivan

My artform is painting. I explore process, surface and experimentation within the picture plane. I also experiment with wood-burning and wood-carving techniques.

The work stems from my own experience of nature but slips into abstraction through intuition and mark- making within the studio process...

My artform is painting. I explore process, surface and experimentation within the picture plane. I also experiment with wood-burning and wood-carving techniques.

The work stems from my own experience of nature but slips into abstraction through intuition and mark- making within the studio process. Looking to the landscape as a source of inspiration, the influence of line, topography and repetition are evident within my paintings and woodcarvings. My paintings and wood carvings are minimalist, complex and poetic pieces that consider the complexity and fragility of nature as an abstracted subject. I collect both found and shop-bought woods and papers, as the influence and condition of these surfaces are an investigative source of interest.

Sourcing different forms of wood, I delve deeper into the surface by burning and carving within the layers of the work, causing tension between paint and woodcut techniques. The grains, knots, and conditions of the materials often influence the form and content of the work. From the edges to the marks and holes in the wood, the paint works with these elements, creating a visible language amongst the rawness and depth of surface.

Photography plays a significant role as an initiator and catalyst with my studio process, to create and drive new ideas within my paintings and wood burning/carving creations. My works are purposefully small in scale, with the act and intimacy of the viewing experience playing a significant part in their creation and presentation.

I am greatly influenced by artists such as Agnes Martin, Helen Frankenthaler and the Dansaekhwa art movement of South Korea. I think about the point where the sky meets the land and this focus point has begun to greatly influence my work. The influence of Asian art is ever present in my work, and I have also introduced into my practice Yakisugi/Shou Sugi Ban, a. traditional Japanese method of wood burning that preserves the material.