Aisling Drennan is an award-winning abstract artist with a London, UK-based art studio.
Please get in touch to book a studio visit.
As an artist who paints on canvas, linen and wood, working on paper is the surface which intrigues me most. There’s something uniquely compelling about paintings on paper. Paper allows for spontaneity, fluidity, and exploration unlike canvas, which often carries a sense of permanence. It’s a space where ideas take form, where colour, texture, and structure evolve freely.
For me, paintings on paper are essential to my creative process. They begin as studies which I place around my studio—spaces to experiment with new compositions, test colour relationships, and develop gestural marks. Yet, over time, I’ve come to see these works as complete in their own right. Each piece captures a specific time in the flow of painting with energy and expression, standing confidently as a finished artwork.
Two artists who have significantly inspired my paper-based artwork over the years are Antony Gormley and Sean Scully. I attended Gormley’s retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2019, where several of his drawings on paper were displayed. The simplicity of his drawing style, combined with the understated nature of paper as a medium, left a lasting impression on me. I also visited an exhibition of Sean Scully’s work at the Pallant Gallery. Known for his thick applications of paint, it was fascinating to observe his unique approach to painting on paper.
Working on paper brings a different kind of interaction with materials. I use a combination of oil paint, oil bar, and charcoal, which allows for a dynamic range of textures—soft, blended passages alongside bold, gestural marks. The absorbency of the paper creates a unique surface quality, enhancing the depth and movement within each piece. I opt for Fabriano paper as it holds the textures of oil paint very well.
One of the great advantages of paintings on paper is their versatility in presentation. They can be framed behind glass for a polished, refined look or mounted directly onto a board for a more contemporary feel. The raw edges of the paper—whether clean-cut or naturally deckled—add to the aesthetic, highlighting the material nature of the work.
If you’ve been following my work and are considering starting your collection, paintings on paper offer an accessible and intimate way to do so. These smaller works capture the essence of my larger pieces while standing independently as complete artworks.
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be releasing a new series of paintings on paper this week. Each piece is unique, expressive, and strongly connected to my larger body of work. They range in size from 30x30cm to 34x34cm and will be available for £225 each.
I hope you found this discussion interesting. Let me know if you have any thoughts, thanks for reading, Aisling
Aisling Drennan is an award-winning abstract artist with a London, UK-based art studio.
Please get in touch to book a studio visit.