Orlanda Broom’s Paintings Are Colorful to the Max

UK based painter, Orlanda Broom, is clearly driven by a passion for color. Her practice takes two distinct forms: lush, exotic landscapes on the one hand, and abstract pieces on the other hand. But both bodies of work are connected by a strong sense of color.

Acrodgin to Broom, her landscapes represent fantastical, re-imagined places, which in some sense provide a rose-tinted view of the natural world. The surface joyousness is tempered by an uneasy sense of abandonment, a place untouched and timeless but a paradise that would ultimately ensnare. With her abstract paintings, there is more improvisation.

The process itself involves no intervention with tools or brushes, just the flow and manipulation of the medium on the canvas. According to Broom, there is an immediacy and freshness born out of this way of working which is complementary to the layered aspect of her landscape paintings.

“My landscapes are very densely layered and a built up through lengthy over-painting and using a lot of different application techniques,” she added in an interview with Jung Katz. “My abstract paintings are made without any tools or brushes so I have less control over the medium and this is quite a freeing way of working.”

“I hope to make paintings that are beautiful but that also offer a narrative that can be interpreted in different ways,” reflected Broom, “whether it’s personal, or more broadly connected to, for example, environmental concerns.” “I try to exploit beauty and color in my work,” she added, explaining “it’s my hook to bring people in and engage further. Generally, I’ve found people respond really well and have some personal connection, idea or memory sparked by it.”

Explore her colorful worlds below: