Tree Painting

Painter Ole Skauge was born in Trondheim, Norway in 1979 and studied art at Oslo's Einar Granum School of Fine Art between 2000-2003. He moved to the UK in 2006 and now lives in Brighton. I look at the world with a ruler in my mind. And the geometric nature of my work derives from my obsession with straight lines and the shapes and illusions they create. But there is nothing harsh or rigid about the outcome. I see my work as very therapeutical and meditative, offering viewers a choice of focal points in which to lose themselves and dream away. The earlier, more abstract of my paintings are all quite accidental; nothing is planned. They are the products of my imagination - influenced by how I feel about my environment and the complexity of my life. The more I look at my paintings and think about them, the more I see landscapes in every one - even if not represented visually. They are informed by memories of living in Norfolk when I first moved to the UK; an implicit resurgence of the inspiration I received by being immersed in the countryside. Now I see myself moving in a more factual direction - towards landscapes, cityscapes and portraits: still in a geometrical style and still experimenting with the way colours can work together or pull against each other. My new work is developing into more realistic images, but swapping colours around to create a more abstract feeling. There is no digital intrusion in my artwork. Each piece starts with a ruler and pen and is then painted freehand using oils on board.