Many OLF's\\
More OLF's
- 2021\\22
Acrylic & Emulsion
On Reclaimed Wood Canvas Board
"Many OLF's, More OLF's" is a significant two-part piece in my oeuvre. I created this work with the aim of upscaling my OLF illustrations and merging them with my painterly practice. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could maintain the same style from my sketchbooks, but on a larger scale, and to see if I could work with paint and brushes on canvas as fluidly as I do with pen and paper. This piece also continues my exploration of countering the idea that creating work with vibrancy and energy requires bold or extensive use of colour. My goal was to create something that still holds powerful dynamism, even within a monochromatic palette.
Early on, I did face some challenges. I found that the porous surface of canvas, even after priming, didn’t allow me to achieve the same intensity of pigment as I could on paper. This led me to experiment with Reclaimed Wood Canvas Board, which has a texture similar to paper and is less absorbent than traditional canvas. This material turned out to be the perfect medium for me—it allowed me to work more fluidly without needing to repeatedly go over areas to build up colour intensity.
I began with the piece on the right, "Many OLF's," in 2021. This part feels like a jazz composition to me—it’s vibrant, playful, and bouncy, with bold, defined shapes, sharp lines, and structure that create a sense of contrast and clarity. A year later, in 2022, I created its sister painting, "More OLF's," which is on the left. This piece is comparatively more subdued, with softer, more fluid forms that remind me of a classical concerto. The smooth lines blend and intertwine together, suggesting subtle movement and adding depth.
Together, these two contrasting yet complementary sections create a visual dialogue within the work, exploring the tension and harmony between fluidity and structure, chaos and order. The monochromatic colour scheme serves to further emphasise the interplay of forms and lines, making this piece both visually striking and thought-provoking.