“I went and stayed with the Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrum in 2012 for 6 weeks. … I could see how much joy he got from painting something he was pleased with. I understood that for me to have any sort of satisfaction and longevity within painting I needed to get the joy of creation back that I had had as a child.
… painting wasn’t about any sort of brute force. It was an exploration. Watching paintings evolve on the canvas without any pre-planning work was difficult for me initially, but it was enjoyable. Finishing the painting wasn’t the best part any more. It was like finishing a good film, I just wanted it to keep going.”
Nicholas O’Leary, interview The Blue Review