Troy Ohlson

Prize Winning Sussex Fine Artist & Printmaker

My work is about atmosphere, feeling and colour.

As both a Painter and a Printmaker, I blur the boundaries between the two, mixing media within each image; often adding collage, watercolour, acrylic, and pen & ink to my paintings, etchings and collagraphs. The influence of each medium plays an important part in determining the character of the final piece. Enjoying the process of creation and allowing myself the freedom to experiment keeps my work fresh and exciting.

My landscapes and skies are inspired by ’Walks with my Woofs’ (Boris & Riley our lovely naughty dogs from the RSPCA). Layers and splashes of paint added to delicate detail capture the enchanting beauty and convey the feeling, the mood, the timeless essence of each place. Touches of gold and sparkling mica flakes create movement and light.

My wildlife and animal paintings and etchings are rich in character and expression, their personalities come alive, touching your heart as they make you smile. By contrasting bold expressive brush strokes with intricate detail I bring the animals to life and create the atmosphere of their worlds.

All my life I've lived by the sea around the world: on the Gold Coast of West Africa, beside the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas and on the New England Coast in the US, before raising my family near Brighton's famous pebble beach. Naturally I’m drawn to paint beautiful atmospheric seascapes, dramatic skies and gorgeous golden beaches. Echoes and flavours of time spent in West Africa and the Caribbean enrich my work.

My work has been featured in Sussex Life, Arty Magazine, Brighton & Hove Life and many others...

I contrast my traditional printmaking (which uses techniques essentially the same as those used by artists for hundreds of years) with cutting edge digital techniques. My series of moon images, including 'Blue Moon' and 'Full Moon' are created using the latest digital art technology.

My expertise on Fine Art Giclèe printing is well recognized - I am the contributing author on the process of Giclèe Printing in the recently published international book 'Traditional and Contemporary Printmaking Techniques'. In 2009 I illustrated a book written by a collector of my work which has been published to worldwide acclaim.