Matthew Oconnor

20 years at sea have left me with a fascination for the sea and the events that take place within and upon its surface. It has also left me with an art style that is firmly based upon reality and the effects of light on a variety of surfaces.

My work is highly detailed and almost photo-realistic, yet the viewer is left in no doubt that he picture is painted and not photographic.

All my work is in dry pastel (occasionally graphite pencil) and one of the many challenges has been to render, realisitcally, a liquid surface using a dry medium.

I particularly enjoy rendering the play of light on curved surfaces, be they liquid or solid, and bringing to light the huge variety of textures to be found.

My paintings are based on my own photographs and each painting takes 2-6 weeks to complete

My forthcoming exhibition at the Still Life Gallery, Aberlour, takes place from Friday 4th May 2012 for two weeks.

There will be a preview on Thursday 3rd May atthe gallery from 17.00 to 19.00

Please contact me if you would like to be added to the preview list