Aug 31, 2012

Vincent Oyenga - LifeShades

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?
This is difficult, I don't really like to talk too much about my work, I just hope people feel something when they look at it. It will be a selection of paintings mainly in acrylics. I paint lots of different subjects, it's expressions of moods and movements probably, and colour is very important to me.


2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
Yes,and I don't intend it to be the last!

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
It was a massive challenge! I'm exhibiting in our flat and during the recent storms our roof leaked badly and destroyed the living room floor. We had to have a new roof fitted and other building work done over the last weeks. It all just about worked out, but there is still a big hole in our living room carpet, we didn't get that done in time. Hopefully people will look at the paintings, not the floor...This is on top of selecting the paintings to show and all the other preparation that goes with it, which I had underestimated a bit. I'm just glad to be able to do it now!

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?
Consciously, it was Henri Matisse. I had mainly been doing drawings and was not really interested in colour so much. Then one day I watched a beautiful documentary on Matisse that really focused on his use of colour. By the end, when they talked about the chapel in Vence and how he changed and developed right up until his death, simplifying it all down to paper cuttings, I actually cried. It was so moving. That's when I started painting and using colour seriously. I don't paint in Matisse's style or anything, but I'm still obsessed with colour. 

5. The E17 Art Trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?
It seems like it. It seems that art is everywhere here and people are genuinely excited about it, which is great. 

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
It's become my home, as simple as that. I live very close to the William Morris Gallery, and I think his spirit is in the air around here! Walthamstow is where I started to do art again after a very long break. It's given me calm and inspiration at the same time.  

Vincent Oyenga's Exhibition is no. 45 in the guide

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