Louisa Boyd
The pieces in this collection document my walks in nature, they are nostalgic and evocative of feeling rather than illustrative of exact locations but have a starting point in mindful walking and the surroundings I encounter and record during this activity. The sketches and photographs I work from are often combined or heavily cropped to leave only one geographic feature highlighted. Sometimes the pieces are painted from memory. This gives the spaces a minimalist and ethereal quality. These minimalist landscapes are worked with feeling, movement and a sense of capturing that which is ever changing such as the weather and seasons alongside more permanent features of the land to illustrate the beautiful tension that exists between these elements. They start with very relaxed watercolour washes, but I use pencils to finish and add details and depending on the piece this can take time to get right.
They are the works that started my career as a professional artist and I’ve been told they have a timeless appeal by those who collect them. Kind words indeed. Caroline encouraged me to revisit the style after some time away from it a few years ago as she felt so passionate about them and wanted them to be part of her collection at Hope Gallery. She can be very convincing and I’m so glad she is!