b. 1953
Oulton has been painting since her years at St Martins (1976-79) then the Royal College of Art (1980-83). Her first groundbreaking and controversial exhibition of large scale oil paintings, Fool’s Gold (1984) took a critical position towards both abstraction and figuration, challenging the prevailing orthodoxies of both.
Her work is essentially abstract, although some of her paintings have hinted at rocky landscapes and aerial, geographic views.
Early on nominated for the Turner Prize, her work is to be found in major museums and collections including the Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.