Olivia Nurrish studied at Bower Ashton Art College in Bristol, where painting was her specialist subject. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art, she lived in London for twenty years, working in television and raising a family. She moved to Weymouth in 1996, following a long-held dream to live near the sea and pick up her brushes again which she finally did after being motivated to join Dorset Art Weeks in 2006. Still life, portraiture and landscape are the principal themes of her work.
All of her work is openly and deliberately imbued with a sense of place and form, demonstrating her schooling and experience in representational techniques and figurative structure. She clearly enjoys the discipline required to execute her nostalgic still-life paintings, and the careful studies at the heart of her individual and family portraits.
Her studio overlooks Portland Harbour, and it is here that she follows up the fieldwork that precedes many of her outdoor scenes. Much time is spent on preparation: selecting angles of view and compositions, making sketches and colour sets. However, there is no doubt that she is a painter by instinct. She will not hesitate to translate a moment of inspiration into a picture, and her love of painting finds expression in her combination of boldness and attention to detail. An element of abstraction is present in much of her work, sparingly used to good effect, holding the viewer’s attention and adding a further dimension to the subject matter.
Olivia Nurrish has held a number of successful exhibitions in Lyme Regis, Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester and Bristol. She also was a founding director of Artwey, a collective of Weymouth and Portland artists, and has organised their Open Studio events since 2009 including the recent OPEN FOR ART19 and 'Artwey at the Nothe Fort' during DAW21, pop up exhibitions and an official Cultural Olympic project 'The Giant Wall'. She is always happy to welcome you to her studio.
All of her work is openly and deliberately imbued with a sense of place and form, demonstrating her schooling and experience in representational techniques and figurative structure. She clearly enjoys the discipline required to execute her nostalgic still-life paintings, and the careful studies at the heart of her individual and family portraits.
Her studio overlooks Portland Harbour, and it is here that she follows up the fieldwork that precedes many of her outdoor scenes. Much time is spent on preparation: selecting angles of view and compositions, making sketches and colour sets. However, there is no doubt that she is a painter by instinct. She will not hesitate to translate a moment of inspiration into a picture, and her love of painting finds expression in her combination of boldness and attention to detail. An element of abstraction is present in much of her work, sparingly used to good effect, holding the viewer’s attention and adding a further dimension to the subject matter.
Olivia Nurrish has held a number of successful exhibitions in Lyme Regis, Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester and Bristol. She also was a founding director of Artwey, a collective of Weymouth and Portland artists, and has organised their Open Studio events since 2009 including the recent OPEN FOR ART19 and 'Artwey at the Nothe Fort' during DAW21, pop up exhibitions and an official Cultural Olympic project 'The Giant Wall'. She is always happy to welcome you to her studio.
