Sol Art – Three Views of Landscape

Sol Art is pleased to present Three Views of Landscape a group exhibition featuring the work of Mike Fitzharris, Martina O’Brien and Reinder Ourensma. All three artists explore the tradition of landscape painting in a fresh, dynamic and an engaging way. Where Mike Fitzharris abstracts the landscape from an aerial point of view, Martina O’Brien looks to deeper levels of the science and geography of landscape, while Reinder Ourensma focuses on the landscape’s atmospheric, poetic and lyrical effects. Looking from high above, deep inside and through a metaphorical lens each artist achieves a new way of viewing and in doing so creates a unique contemporary approach to a much explored genre.

Mike Fitzharris
Mike was born in Limerick in 1952. After his degree at Limerick School of Art he went on to study at the Hochshule for Bilden Kunst, Berlin. Fitzharris currently lives and works in Spain. He specialises in depicting abstract landscapes and his contrasting palette expresses his experience of both the Spanish and Irish climates. Fitzharris paints from an aerial point of view, and the paint is delicately scratched and pushed on to the surface. His solo exhibitions include The Oriel Gallery, Galerie Alexandre in Paris, Dublin Port Centre and Jorgensen Fine Art in Dublin.

 
Martina O’Brien
Martina O’Brien’s current practice is based on a concern for and an interest in the environment and physical and social geographies. She has an interest in the findings of Prof. James E. Lovelock and admits that his Gaia hypothesis informs her work. Her work is included in the public collections of the Office of Public Works and An Bord Altranais. She was selected for the Royal Ulster Academy’s 133rd Annual Exhibition 2014/15, and has exhibited extensively both in Ireland and internationally.

Reinder Ourensma
Reinder Ourensma (b.1952) lives and works in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, but for over thirty years he has been focusing on the pristine, rugged and quiet landscapes of Ireland. His works are clear, spatial and poetic. The artist evokes a sense of alienation and being overwhelmed. Ourensma rediscovers an environment which has almost been lost both in physical reality and in our minds. In 2009 he was awarded First Prize in Painting at the 7th Florence Biennial. He was among 643 international artists from 78 countries. In June 2012, Reinder Ourensma was presented at Ireland’s inaugral Dublin Biennial Pop-Up Exhibition 2012, an international exhibition of contemporary art.
The exhibition runs until 1 May, 2016