Madeleine O'Brien

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art)

No items found.

My work focuses on documenting people around me and exploring the various methods of representing their unique character traits. My working process involves outsourcing images or setting up photoshoots with loose instruction about how the subject decides how they might pose and has an input in the final works, ensuring that I represent my subjects’ emotions accurately as they influence the painting’s outcome. By allowing my subjects to determine the limitations of my artwork, I aim to let them express their emotions organically rather than ascribe my interpretation upon them. I am inspired by the ideas of modern-day Wicca practices and how they can be used to depict qualities outside the physical, using Wiccan symbols for colour along with ritualistic uses of various herbs to reflect the traits of each subject. The aim of this collection is to integrate the experiences of other people without imposing myself as the artist on them. In this sense, I hope that my art establishes a more intimate connection between the viewer of the artwork and its subjects.

Heartbreaker, 2021  

oil on plywood  

1200 x 900 mm

@maddyobrienart