The Art Shed

Fiona Ryan, a fine art graduate and full time contemporary landscape artist.  Inspired by the sea and fascinated by surface texture.

Fiona's motivation to incorporate texture has led her to many years of experimentation with different paints, mediums and sgraffito techniques.  This exploration of how oils, wax, resins and solvents interact to change the characteristics of paint, is most evident in her latest  works.  On close surface inspection, layers of thick paint can be seen to hold individual brush stokes or pallet knife marks, elsewhere the weave of the canvas is still visible and glazes drip. Careful consideration is also given to the qualities of the pigment used.  Expressive opaque layering is beautifully complemented by rich depths of tone, achieved by the careful mixing of transparent pigments. 

But what is pivotal to every piece, is the subtle blending of colours, that enable the sensitive depiction of light and mood that Fiona captures in her coastal paintings