In this second part of our exploration into colour Stephen Ormandy shares some of his inspirations, and provides a glimpse into his process.

Like Louise Olsen, Stephen Ormandy is a co-founder and lead designer of Dinosaur Designs, but today we’re speaking to him about his paintings.

Ormandy’s work features evocative, organic forms and bold clashes of colour. There are some clear aesthetic parallells between his paintings and some of the Dinosaur Designs products – but here we discover just how the two disciplines of art and design relate to each other in his practice.

Stephen Ormandy

Where did your love of colour begin, and how your use of colour has developed?
I’ve always loved colour ever since I can remember, from my first packet of textas as a child. It’s a continuous exploration of the relationship between colour and tone.

Golden Years

Symbiotic

Where do you find inspiration for colour, and how do you collect and catalogue ideas for palettes?
I find inspiration everywhere, in particular throughout art history. Louise and I work in a similar way in the sense that we both have large pin-boards that we pin inspiring images to. As a visual person I find it allows me to organise my ideas.

Your work strongly evokes the Australian landscape – both in colour and form. We have so much unique, natural beauty here in Australia, but it’s often hard to distill that down into something that doesn’t feel cliched or obvious. How have you developed your particular style, and how have you been able to simplify your subject matter without losing its character?
My artwork is heavily influenced by landscapes, particularly the strong light and colour. I simplify shapes into block abstract forms and Iook for rhythms of tone, colour, shape and lines.

Conversation

Desert

Does your painting inform your design work, or vice versa? I see similarities between the two, but I’m wondering if one has a stronger influence over the other, or if you’reable to share ideas and techniques between the two disciplines at all?
There is a lot of borrowing between the two, they work together and compliment each other. My painting studio is within the Dinosaur Designs building so it’s easy to work between the two. For my upcoming exhibition at the Tim Olsen Gallery in November I’ve been working on creating sculptural work to sit alongside my paintings. I’m always looking for new mediums and techniques to experiment with.

What are some of the places you’ve visited, or works you’ve seen, that have had a profound impact on your feelings for and understanding of colour?
The Great Barrier Reef and central Australia are fantastic sources of colour. When travelling I like to visit MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Prado, the Louvre, Tate Britain and the Miro Museum, they’re such great venues to view the latest shows. Artists like Morandi, Picasso, Matisse & Sol LeWitt have all inspired me.

Light House

Stephen Ormandy at Tim Olsen Gallery