ARTISTS drawn to foreign cultures view things with a different eye.
The mixing of cultural influences often results in perspectives that are atypical and can be consequently quite refreshing and revealing.
Olivia Fraser graduated from Oxford with an MA in Modern Languages and followed that with a year at art college. In 1989 she moved to India.
She spent her time in the Sub-continent painting the architecture of Delhi, picking up Indian techniques and practicalities along the way.
In this video, Olivia Fraser explains the techniques she used to create one of her recent highlight pieces, 1000 PETALS, 2021-2 (stone pigments and Arabic gum on handmade Sanganer paper).
Handmade Tools
Olivia learnt how to make her own paper, brushes and paint, using materials and minerals available in the region. The ways of her adopted land were also to infuse her art. Yoga, the vivid colours and styles, and the references in her own garden — serpents, trees, insects and patterns — flowered and flourished on her drawing board.
The details are the devil that Olivia has tamed with a patient approach and much visualisation and meticulous planning.
Carefully plotting each piece before setting brush to paper, Olivia’s methodical approach meant the germination and gestation of an idea took a period of time.
Often, her pieces lead to extensions of an idea as new influences find their way into a work.
Hence, anyone wanting to collect a full set of images for a particular set of Olivia’s evolving ideas can always look forward to more works. Just that you might have to wait between pieces.
Blending Styles
The hybrid painting techniques she has evolved as a result of being exposed to different locales has yielded a deeply reflective style embracing culture, heritage and spiritual practices.
