Sean O'Farrell Velvet (2023)
Sean O’Farrell. (b.1966) is a contemporary British artist born in Harlow, Essex now living and working in Denbigh, Wales.
O’Farrell’s work investigates the relationship between the making and experiencing of the art object. Primarily working as a painter, the work explores the meeting between the viewer, the art object and the environment of the encounter.
O’Farrell says, "I am fascinated by the experience of looking at art, what is communicated between the maker and the viewer when the work is confronted? One of my aims is to activate the viewer, making the experience of looking at painting more akin to that of looking at sculpture or architecture. I want to make the viewer feel the need to move around the canvas and spend time with it.”
The making of the painting is like a private performance, with the bulk of the time in the studio given over to rehearsal on smaller canvases, preparation of the surface and cleaning up. Although the way I work is quite physical, gesture is pared down to one or two sweeps of the brush meaning that in some work the final image is created in one motion. The actual resolution of the image takes only moments. “Chance, O’Farrell says, plays a major role in the work and the results are unpredictable, I work on many different paintings concurrently and numerous canvases are unsuccessful and are recycled.” O’Farrell has made surfaces that are highly reflective, that invite the viewers’ attention whilst simultaneously refusing to reveal themselves entirely.
One of the themes in the work is how disparate colours can be “knitted” or “woven” together to make an image. “I was very influenced by seeing a Dutch National Liberation skirt in the resistance museum in Amsterdam and the theme of unity in diversity.” The brush does not apply the paint, it mixes, moves and shape the paint on the surface, creating the final image. There is the suggestion of fabric, an object observed, a close up of a viscose curtain, a blanket or part of a landscape perhaps, but the final image is remains elusive and unnameable.
Time is a central theme in the work. The time we spend looking at painting, how we move around them, the time we spend with them, the time imbued within the work and how our relationship with the art piece changes over time.
“I also want to be part of the painting debate, O’Farrell say. “What can I do with paint that hasn’t been before and what relevance does painting have now in the digital age?"
Sean O’Farrell studied BA (Hons) Fine Art at Staffordshire University and MA Fine Art course at Arts University Bournemouth.
2023
O’Farrell’s work investigates the relationship between the making and experiencing of the art object. Primarily working as a painter, the work explores the meeting between the viewer, the art object and the environment of the encounter.
O’Farrell says, "I am fascinated by the experience of looking at art, what is communicated between the maker and the viewer when the work is confronted? One of my aims is to activate the viewer, making the experience of looking at painting more akin to that of looking at sculpture or architecture. I want to make the viewer feel the need to move around the canvas and spend time with it.”
The making of the painting is like a private performance, with the bulk of the time in the studio given over to rehearsal on smaller canvases, preparation of the surface and cleaning up. Although the way I work is quite physical, gesture is pared down to one or two sweeps of the brush meaning that in some work the final image is created in one motion. The actual resolution of the image takes only moments. “Chance, O’Farrell says, plays a major role in the work and the results are unpredictable, I work on many different paintings concurrently and numerous canvases are unsuccessful and are recycled.” O’Farrell has made surfaces that are highly reflective, that invite the viewers’ attention whilst simultaneously refusing to reveal themselves entirely.
One of the themes in the work is how disparate colours can be “knitted” or “woven” together to make an image. “I was very influenced by seeing a Dutch National Liberation skirt in the resistance museum in Amsterdam and the theme of unity in diversity.” The brush does not apply the paint, it mixes, moves and shape the paint on the surface, creating the final image. There is the suggestion of fabric, an object observed, a close up of a viscose curtain, a blanket or part of a landscape perhaps, but the final image is remains elusive and unnameable.
Time is a central theme in the work. The time we spend looking at painting, how we move around them, the time we spend with them, the time imbued within the work and how our relationship with the art piece changes over time.
“I also want to be part of the painting debate, O’Farrell say. “What can I do with paint that hasn’t been before and what relevance does painting have now in the digital age?"
Sean O’Farrell studied BA (Hons) Fine Art at Staffordshire University and MA Fine Art course at Arts University Bournemouth.
2023
All images Copyright Sean O'Farrell 1990 - 2019