olivia mansfield
𝘞𝘦 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺
oil on linen
2022
Olivia’s multidisciplinary practice is rooted in classical painting, iconography, theology, historic culture, ritual and symbolism. Themes of myth, legend and folklore intertwine vividly in a playful balance of the abstract, botanical, celestial and figurative elements she encompasses.
Her paintings will transport you to imaginary worlds both fantastical and tellurian, alluding to and echoing our own existence. Wistful faces, wandering beasts, anointed altars, prophetic visions. Vessels, chambers, coracles, crucibles all twist and jostle, swirling amongst the alluring, luscious, somewhat mercurial and volatile dwellings she creates.
The intuitive process allows Olivia to engage deeply with the forms manifesting in the work. Orphic symbols oscillate in sacred shrines where the warm ashy earth is tracked with muddied feet. Witness the exploration of expressive flora and fauna, foreshadowed by brooding, atmospheric skies. Spy saplings and seedlings, visions of explosive, abundant new life emerging, blossoming, thriving from within her distinct and unique manipulation of the paint.
There is an inward looking, deciphering dreams and transformations, love, loss, longing. Combinations of fast, rapid movements with that of a delicate unfurling fern, gasping for air, bursting up from the tumultuous uneven ground; these gestures and imagery continuously looking to highlight the palpable vulnerability we as living creatures hold within our ever-changing and uncertain world.
Grand, idyllic beings morph between states, teetering on the apex of abstraction and the more considered, descriptive structures within the paintings. These bold, bare-skinned figures brazenly dominate the canvas, striding, squatting, dancing, both explicitly and unashamedly, they leap untethered over the glades and caverns, writhing upon the fiery hot stones, forged and held within the splintering, emotive landscapes.
