Artist Interview: Scott O'Rourke

 

Artist Scott O'Rourke creates striking original prints that balance technical mastery with a strong sense of place and storytelling. Through his distinctive approach to printmaking, Scott explores the character of the landscapes, structures and environments that inspire him, translating observation and experience into richly detailed printed works.

Based in Norway, Scott O'Rourke is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans printmaking, painting, drawing and collage. Alongside his own creative work, he is a Printmaking Technician at KHiO in Oslo and is an alumnus of the Royal College of Art.

We asked Scott about his experience with printmaking and how his choice of Somerset® paper supports his work:

'The Annointed' by Scott O'Rourke
2022, etching on Somerset Velvet Soft White

How did your journey into printmaking begin, and what first drew you to the medium?

My printmaking journey began at college making drypoints onto plastic sheets, I was doing a lot of ink drawing and it was starting to look a bit flat. My tutor Max Middleton suggested intaglio would be good for me to try. I was hooked from the first reveal as it come out of the press.

I found that the process was a generous one in that it added another dimension to my mark-making. Pretty soon I was taking these plastic drypoint sheets into the life drawing classes instead of traditional paper.

'Eden' by Scott O'Rourke, etching
on Somerset Velvet White

Where do you most often find inspiration for your prints?

I get a lot of inspiration from the nature in Norway where I live. I find it so dense and fascinating, so I work towards combining the landscape with the figure and not have it recede into the background.

Alongside this, I read a lot of books and essays about biology, plant and animal life, and the natural world which helps me rethink about our relationship to our ecosystem.

How do you approach composition when creating larger or more detailed prints?

I try not to plan too much with each piece, as I can then start to ‘over-think’ and second guess my actions; this can slow me down or drag me into a lot of self doubt.

I will have a few simple motifs or discoveries I’ve made in the sketchbooks that I feel can be expanded through Intaglio processes with which to begin. After a certain period of time, the initial ideas will fail; it’s never a smooth journey, and this reinforces my belief that there is no such thing as mistakes. At this point, it becomes about trying to identify the nature of the image and what it needs in order to progress further. In these small decisions and decisive moments, this is where I feel my research, experience, skills and approach then engage with the piece to transcend the original ideas.

What do you enjoy about working with Somerset®  paper for your prints, and how does it complement your printmaking style and techniques?

Etching can be a bit unpredictable, and the way I work thrives on an element of surprise, so it really helps to have a paper that is dependable and gives consistently great results like Somerset Velvet and Somerset Satin.

I don’t have to doubt the paper; it is versatile and can withstand multiple soakings, which allows for a lot of experimentation. A lot of my work revolves around surface, and Somerset paper is definitely part of that conversation.

'The Mouth is the Prototype of all prisons' by Scott O’Rourke, 2024,
etching on Somerset Satin roll. Photo credit: Norsk Grafikere

What do you enjoy most about printing on Somerset® rolls, and what first drew you to using them in your practice?

I needed a large-scale heavy cotton paper to print my 2 metre long etching plate on, and a Somerset roll was, in my mind the only choice.

'Mutations' exhibition installation at Norsk Ghrafikere Gallery, 2024
Photo credit: Norsk Grafikere

'The First Hippy' by Scott O'Rourke, 2026,
etching on Somerset velvet Soft White

Links

To see more of Scott O’Rourke’s work, visit these links:

www.instagram.com/scottorourkestudio/

www.fineart.no/kunstner/scott-o-rourke 

norske-grafikere.no/produktkategori/orourke-scott/

To learn more about our Somerset® range, visit our website.