Ornulf Opdahl

About

Moving between observation and abstraction, Opdahl employs strong elements of colour and shape to build up compositions that highlight the scale of his environment. Dark masses of towering mountains, often draped in fog or snow, are offset by pin pricks of man made light shining in the black; signs of humanity’s small existence amongst these epic proportions of nature. The sheer cliff faces of the deep fjords, impenetrable but for a few solitary rays of sunlight merge with the darkening skies. The interplay between dark and light against such backdrops suggest a sense of both the ancient and the eternal. 
The new works take the landscape as a starting point and refine it into a less tangible image, evoking a powerful sense of the atmosphere. Opdahl’s distinctive depictions of his surroundings have become synonymous with our vision of that remote and beautiful land.