Oscar Romp

Figurative Artist

Oscar Romp

Figurative Artist

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Building Up The Vision

Laying The Foundation Paint Layers

Bashing-out A Painting In 2 Days

Making A Painting To Capture A Vibe

Reflections On War And Peace

Path By The Clockhouse At Denmans Gardens (1)

Path By The Clock House At Denmans (2)

Path By The Clockhouse At Denmans (3)

00:00 Thu 6th Jun 2024

I find I have to work fast with a specially thought-through, and economic working process. It needs the elegance of a Napoleon Battle - strategy.


Working outside live onsite, weather, lighting and atmosphere are constantly changing. It is the interaction of these things as well as the objects, figures or topography in view, which help make the mood and sense of any given place, - whether the place is manmade, 'natural'. or both.

To get the sense of the place I'm also constantly selecting-in, the significant elements, and selecting-out elements which I can see, but which are of less interest to me in terms of subject.In this respect, I am 'telling a tall tale' by being selective and focussing on certain things, while ignoring others. Every artist has to do this to a greater or lesser extent because reality is simply too complex and too inanimate to be grasped in painting. So even with more representational. less expressive work, the vision of the artist  (as well as a sense of place) comes across by what he/she selects to show you, and how he chooses to show it in terms of use of materials and marks on the canvas. This is at any rate the aspiration. When I fail it is worse than a bad photo.

When I need to work fast, I rarely begin with blank white paper or canvas. Its like working from zero, because nothing in life or in the material world are blank or white. When working in pastel I select coloured or tonal-shaded paper. When painting I paint a light or mid-tone ground of tinted primer, - often a mid-tome pale green as in this one, The first marks and drawing tend to be timid and analytical, as I work, out the shape and composition of my painting, and start locate and draw-in the elements of the place which impress me most.