Christine Oliphant

Christine has a BA in Fashion and Textile design and this interest in texture and pattern is often evident in her work. A later qualification in Fine Art has led to her pursuing painting as her main occupation.

She has had work in exhibitions in Manchester, Stockport and Chester as well as solo exhibitions in Cheshire and Wales. She has been involved in several collaborative and community-based projects with other artists as well as teaching both professionally and voluntarily.

Currently based in a studio at home after working in shared studio spaces she is finding her immediate surroundings a great source of ideas and is currently working on a group of paintings inspired by the chaos and exuberance of the garden in summer.

Christine Oliphant is best known for her colourful abstract paintings. Influenced by the Abstract Expressionists and the Scottish colourist school of painting, her work is a mixture of expressive marks and joyful colour combinations.

Inspiration is found in the observed glimpse of a place, the effect of light on a surface, the balance of different shapes, and the emotional excitement of colour. Working in mainly oils and watercolours her paintings are concerned with capturing the essence of these remembered places.

After making sketches and taking photographs she works intuitively, building up layers of paint and continually making adjustments in an instinctive way, producing a very personal interpretation of what was observed.