Kirsty O’Brien

I am a practicing artist, living and working within Redcar and Cleveland. My portfolio of paintings focuses on the closure of the Blast Furnace at Warrenby, Redcar and the surrounding landscape and industry. My practice examines the expansive landscape of industry, displaying both its beauty and its poisonous nature. The nature in which the work is made corresponds to the processes that happen within industry. These paintings have been created from the residue at the bottom of abandoned and recycled tins, dripped and poured onto the surface. The paint is treated like raw material about to be processed and allowed to pool, like molten steel.

Atmospheric Conversion

A continuation of my exploration of the Blast Furnace and its surroundings, this painting represents the meetings of chemicals into the environment. I develop paintings to push the boundaries of painterly techniques, to break the boundary of control while still exploring narrative and context.