When Daniel Gbenga Orimoloye first introduced himself to The Saffron Walden Gallery it was hard to see the
artistic determination and passion which lies beneath the surface of this quiet, humble, man. It was only when
we had the opportunity to view Daniel’s work that we realised we were dealing with a rare talent.
Daniel derives his artistic inspiration from a wide variety of sources and has a wide repertoire of subject
matter. There are the wonderfully atmospheric, traditional Nigerian scenes in which the ambience of the
essential fabric of the nation is captured in bright colours and texture.
Daniel paints in thick oils in the impasto style which makes his work instantly recognisable and forges a
strong link to his more recent work of Saffron Walden and Cambridge which, although poles apart in terms of
subject from Nigeria, still allow Daniel’s skill and creativity to shine through.
The Saffron Walden series of paintings are particularly interesting as they capture a traditional English town
in a contemporary setting, often including 21st century urban features that other artists may sacrifice to
produce a more quaint image. It is Daniel’s ability to reproduce views with great colour, perspective and
texture which can turn the apparently mundane into a transfixing and compelling visual treat.
Daniel’s interpretation of light and colour is possibly at its most dramatic in his portrait and figure painting
when light is used to model forms often with a very strong background colour such as red or green, then a few brief strokes of colour from the palette knife bring the subject to life and demand and hold one’s attention.
Bright colours juxtaposed often out of context but ultimately incredibly effective and quite natural.
Daniel has now found inspiration in the English countryside and will no doubt bring his unique
interpretation and painterly style to this new subject. The results will almost certainly be dramatic and
incredibly exciting and we, at The Saffron Walden Gallery, are delighted to be able to introduce this new direction to what is already an outstanding body of work.
One of Daniel’s earlier exhibitions was called Ona, meaning road or way in Yoruba. Roads and rivers do
feature consistently in Daniel’s work perhaps symbolic of the journey he is on as an artist. We feel privileged
to be accompanying him along his road. Daniel already has a long, prodigious and distinguished history as an
artist and we, at The Saffron Walden Gallery feel very excited to have become part of the journey.
Bill Tickner & Sara Horncastle
February 2014