Details

First Name

Olivia
Last Name

Irvine
Username

oliviairvine
Website

irvineart.co.uk
Region

Edinburgh & The Lothians
Disciplines

Painting, Printmaking, Drawing
Themes

Abstract, Figurative, Landscape, Identity, Narratives, Environment

Statement

Statement

I create paintings that come from a mixture of observation, memory and imagination. A lot f my research is through drawing. Enclosed spaces fascinate me as they create a kind of theatre in which to improvise. There is a feeling of narrative about my paintings which have people, places and objects as well as more abstract elements.  The wanderings of daydreams rather than any specific story drive the emotional aspects of the painting and the more formal qualities come out of an engagement with the paint itself.

I use oil paint and ancient techniques such as egg tempera and fresco.

Biography

Biography

I was brought up in Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and rural Banffshire, coming to Edinburgh when I was 21 to study Drawing and Painting at the Art College. I spent a year in Madrid on a Spanish Government Scholarship, followed five years later with an MA in European Fine Art at Winchester School of Art in Barcelona.

I currently have a studio at Wasps in Edinburgh and teach very part time with the University of Edinburgh Short Courses in Art and Design. I also run workshops on colour, ancient techniques and imaginative composition. I exhibit in group and solo shows around the UK and Ireland.