Lisa O’Donnell

My adoration for colour and shapes can be traced right back to the second my former childminder placed a crayon in my hand. She would play a game where she would scribble on a piece of paper then I was to colour in the shapes. Aspects of that have stuck with me ever since, such as there’s no wrong and right way to be creative, and above all, to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing. 

I enjoy working intuitively with a freely flowing thought process, and by doing this I cannot plan what the end result will look like.  I start with a couple colours in mind and from there I intuitively add each colour one by one, judging how they work together and within their shapes. The evolving colour combinations determines the final outcome of the work and through this process I can collect inspiration based on what forms and combinations I like to then use for future paintings, so my work is constantly evolving from one to another. 

The idea of subconscious influences is represented within my work from the colour selected to the forms created. Although I create my pieces with no representation in mind, similar to a Rorschach test (inkblot test) those observing my work will have different ideas of what they see, they’ll create a unique narrative for what they are observing through their own personal connections between colour and form.