The Fine Art Photography of Kevin Rolly BIO/CV - CONTACT

What is Oilgraphing?

"Oilgraphing" is not an official term nor is it a standardly applied process. It is simply what I believe describes the technique the best: a hybrid between a photograph and and oil painting.

In 1994 I was experimenting with a number of techniques to create a look and feel I wanted. I was searching for something that could make the image more 'haunting' with a feeling of light emerging from the darkness. I wanted it to be a photograph, but I wanted to be something more than a photograph. So I began to look beyond standard or even alternative photographic processes. I turned to oil paint.

I took a small traditionally printed photo and using a rub-out technique with black oil color I discovered, surprisingly on the first try, what I had been looking for. I also realized that due to the non-absorbancy of the photograph, there would not be any contamination of the print and that the technique was archival.


I then began experimenting further to refine the application and for the first year or so all of the pieces were monochromes. I discovered in that time that there is no one way to do an oilgraph. Each requires something different and each is an experiment. People are often frustrated that I can't give them a simple step by step process, but there is none. It would be akin to telling people how one particular painter paints. Making these pieces is all in the "how" much more than in the "what."

In 1996 I was lecturing on the work when someone asked if I could come in an simply show them how a piece was done...essentially make one in front of them. No way, I thought. With people watching? What if I botched it up? Then I thought...so? What if I did? It was another step in the experiment.

So, we set a date in a month and I went to prepare a special piece. Since everyone knew I had a special thing for Jesus, I decided to do a crucifixion. I know I could have picked something a little more simple, but if I was going to do something that could prove to be stepping stone, I figured I'd rather fail at something big than safe. I shot with my friend Paulo Durazzo, montaged the images (and some other things) onto the canvas and just before going on, covered the entire piece in mixed oil color, put on music... and then just started.
First untitled oilgraph - 1994
 I thought this must be incredibly boring to watch...

But something sort of happened then. It became an emotional and spiritual experience. Unlike being in the studio, there's no time to be ponderous and think so you just have to trust that something is going to come of it. It became more of an "ushering in" process than a outright creating process. You are listening to the piece and giving it what it needs. I realized that the roles (at least for me) were now reversed in the sense that I was to serve the piece and not the other way around. I couldn't force a piece to be something that it refuses to be.

What came out of that afternoon was the adjacent piece "The Hunted," the first performance piece. I've done them ever since and more than a third of the work comes from performance.

LINKS TO RECENT PERFORMANCES
THE BORDERLANDS - CREATED IN THEORY LABS JULY 2006
PORTENDS - CREATED IN PERFORMANCE AT THE BLACKCAT GALLERY JULY 2006
RAMSES IV - CREATED IN PERFORMANCE AT THEORY LABS MAY 26 - 2006