Sally O’Neill

Oils & Acrylics, Pen & Ink, Pencil & Charcoal, Watercolours

I started my working life as an Architect and I still love to discuss and play with design. I have always drawn and painted and kept sketch books of my travels. Then ten years ago I discovered the versatility and fun of painting with acrylics!
My approach to painting is to create ‘compositions’ from landscapes, not to depict real places. I walk, sit, sketch, photograph and absorb the landscape, trying to memorize the boundaries between the trees and the field and the meeting of the sky and the land. When I start a picture, I have a plan, but often the act of painting suggests something different, perhaps a change of the light or shadows.
In contrast, drawing with ink and graphite is a different approach. A line or a wash is difficult to change once down. In my mind it has to be accurate and true, a factual record of time and place. Black and white holds something special and leaves the viewer more space to imagine in some way.