This new series of paintings makes use of the ‘pieces’ paintings I created over the past year. I collaged the pieces into a composition and once painted, I responded intuitively building the painting up in layers. As well as the duality of abstraction and representation, I’m exploring formal contradictions in these works. Soft and hard brush strokes, line and tone, varied opacity of paint, fast and slow marks. Difference and similarity keep the eye moving around the painting, investigating the qualities of each form and how they connect to each other.
© Harriet Orrey-Godden 2021
These three oil paintings on paper were inspired by the bare branches and ploughed soil of winter landscapes as I took more walks than usual this winter. I had time to notice the texture of the bark and energy of branches in the wind. At the time I was reading Vandana Shiva’s book Earth democracy, and contemplating the necessity of natural cycles of death, decomposition, regeneration and renewal. I hope these small paint sketches will make their way into larger paintings soon.
