Oscar Fenner – painter and mixed media artist - February 2025.
Oscar holds the title of “youngest member” at EVAN and, aged 25, he’s one to watch.
Born in Nunhead, London, Oscar’s family moved to Cumbria when he was four. He recalls riding the Tube as a toddler, but his first vivid memory is of Teddy flying out the window on moving to the North at the age of four. Raised in Penrith, he spent his early years making collages inspired by his mum, a textile artist, but also finding purpose with paint in A-level Art at Ullswater Community College, before moving on to study at Brighton University after completing a Foundation Art course in Carlisle.
Why Brighton? Maybe it was the urge to escape home or the magnetic pull of the South. He later discovered that his dad’s roots trace back to Sussex, so it felt in retrospect like an ancestral calling. Brighton offered a place for creative expression and personal growth, pushing him to explore spiritual aspects and dive deeper into his work. Oscar developed his style by incorporating found materials and books, creating large abstract oil paintings and handmade stretcher frames made from scrap wood.
Oscar had to navigate his second and third years of university during lockdown, finding solace through painting, often losing himself in his work. He recalls, ‘the studios were often empty so I would play my music aloud.’
Post-graduation, Oscar stayed in Brighton, working in hospitality at Burnt Orange, where he once prepped and washed dishes for a meal reviewed by Jay Raynor. In 2021, he moved back to Penrith, where he now works from his flat— in his studio - a creative sanctuary filled with colour and textures. Oscar works his colours from a glass pallet atop of a desk, often working on multiple small paintings at a time tacked onto a drawing board.
Although solitary by nature, Oscar’s work is anything but quiet. He’s embraced found materials, creating a series of paintings on reclaimed postcards. He’s also been experimenting with printmaking, employing his glass desk for monoprinting and working more loosely, though he plans to deconstruct the prints further. Oscar’s process is intuitive; some pieces hit the mark, others don’t, but he enjoys embracing the potential of chance and unpredictability.
Currently, you can see his work at the EVAN Gallery, 4 Corney Place, Penrith; or within St.Art in Carlisle at 3 West Tower street.