HELLO LOUIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE 4BYSIX INITIATIVE AND FOR TAKING SOME TIME OUT TO TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR ART PRACTICE. TO START, PLEASE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF YOUR CURRENT ART PRACTICE? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE KEY INSPIRATIONS IN YOUR JOURNEY TO CREATE UTOPIAN-LIKE STILL LIFES?

I had a great art teacher in secondary school who showed us lots of Dutch still life paintings & explained the symbolism & meanings of the objects they painted. My mum, also a painter, got me interested in abstract painting around the age of 16 - painters like Howard Hodgkin, Ian McEever & Callum Innes - (my A level art work were big Hodgkin ripoffs). More recently I’ve been fascinated by Romanticism Painters- especially Caspar David Friedrich. I’m also drawn to cheesy Vaporwave-esque internet imagery & 80s airbrushed advertisements. So I feel like my work is a culmination of these different influences.

YOUR SELECTION OF COLOUR AND COMPOSITION ARE WELL CONSIDERED AND EFFECTIVE FOR EVOKING PARTICULAR ATMOSPHERES AND MOODS. IS THIS ELEMENT PART OF THE INITIAL PLANNING PROCESS OR DOES IT COME NATURALLY WHEN RENDERING THE WORK IN PAINT?

I rarely plan my paintings - they usually start with a couple of colours which usually forms a sky or a wall of an interior. The imagery evolves over time & I react to what’s happening in the paintings. The ideas for the objects also evolve over time or are influenced by things I’ve read, watched or seen. 

HOW DOES THE COMPOSITIONAL PROCESS WORK? DOES A COMPOSITIONAL PRESENT ITSELF NATURALLY OR DO YOU USE A COMBINATION OF REFERENCES IN ONE WORK?

The compositions present themselves naturally. I do use a combination of references in one work. The skies or sunsets can come from photographs I’ve taken or screenshots of films or tv shows & the objects are usually from images I’ve found on the internet. 

YOU RECENTLY COMPLETED A NEW WORK ON A PLASTIC PANEL PROVIDED BY 4BYSIX, AS YOU HAVE STATED THAT THE “DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANT” IS A COMMON THEME AMONGST YOUR WORK, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND WORKING WITH THEM AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT THEIR INITIATIVE THAT DREW YOU TO BEING A PART OF THEIR WORK?

I’ve been incredibly lucky in life & I’ve had amazing support from my family, teachers, galleries, friends etc. I’m grateful to everyone who’s supported me in anyway. So I know how impactful work like this is. 

GIVEN THAT THERE IS A METICULOUS LEVEL OF CARE IN RENDERING TEXTURES LIKE METAL, GLASS AND PLASTIC IN YOUR WORK, DID THE PANEL SPARK ANY INSPIRATION IN THE PIECE YOU CREATED FOR US?

It was my first time painting on plastic. I was worried the paint wouldn’t stick to the panel but it turned out fine in the end. I did try using masking tape to get some straight lines but it kept peeling paint off the panel so most of this painting is freehand. 

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SETTING IN WHICH THE SCENE IN YOUR PAINTING TAKES PLACE? WHAT INSPIRED THE BACKGROUND AND THE STILL LIKE IN THE FOREGROUND? 

The setting is an imaginary place based on the Lake District or Scotland. I recently got an electric car so I’ve spent more time driving & listening to music. I find driving through these beautiful landscapes really inspiring & it gives me time to reflect & think about my work. I do however hate how bright modern cars headlights are. 

AS 4BYSIX’S SOCIALLY ENGAGED WORK AIMS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE ARTS, CAN YOU TELL US IF THIS IS A TOPIC YOU CONSIDER WITHIN YOUR STUDIO PRACTICE?

I try & recycle as much as possible & I’m mindful not to be wasteful. I use good quality paint with high pigment content so I’m not blasting through loads of pots of the stuff. I save any packaging or bubble wrap etc & reuse them when I send my work out. 

FINALLY, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU? ARE THERE ANY PROJECTS OR NEW CONCEPTS YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO STARTING?

I have a 6 week residency in Ibiza starting in January & after that I’m showing some new paintings at Art Rotterdam art fair. I’m also working towards two solo shows- one in Milan & another in Hong Kong.