Lesley Oldaker
I am a UK visual artist, recently moved from Zurich, Switzerland and now living in Bath. I have exhibited in the UK, USA ,Switzerland, Slovakia, Italy, India and China, and I have work in private collections in UK, USA, Bratislava, China, Australia and India.
My work observes modern day society and explores through painting, the complex relationships, transient nature and purpose of random moving figurative groups and their interaction with the space around them. Examining and incorporating the effects of current social conditions, creates a narrative within the work and by expressing a personal response to co-occupying the space often communicates a common sense of displacement, a question of belonging and relevance within our shared urban environments.
My process originates from drawing, photographic and printing studies of large public spaces where there is a continual sense of movement of form within the urban landscapes. These studies enable me to abstract the essence of emotion, form, space and colour for the paintings.
Initial layers of textured acrylics create structure, negative space and perspective and oil paint, the main medium, I feel communicates more desirably the sense of continual movement and fluidity of the form within the work.
Painterly mark making and a limited colour pallet helps evoke a further suggestion of mood and place, encouraging the viewer to personally explore and interpret the painting