About

‘I have been a fine art painter for nearly two decades but have been dabbling in anything and everything related to art since my childhood. I have had both solo and group showings in Australia, America and the UK. My subject matter is mainly focused on the human form with particular attention paid to the face. 
I always try to look for something interesting in the face of the individual I choose to paint. I like to paint faces that are maybe slightly unusual, or not considered conventionally beautiful. I am drawn, maybe unconsciously, to subjects that seemingly embody darker emotions. It resonates so much more with me and I think with people in general on a much more significant level than a picture of a girl smiling without a care in the world would. That’s not as relatable to people. But as well as trying to capture a certain and perhaps obvious melancholy, I like to present an undertone of strength. Some paintings embody that characteristic more obviously than others. But in every painting I do, I strive to imbue the subject with the juxtaposition of both vulnerability and strength, in varying degrees. 
I also like to contrast this rather intense and sobre portrayal with humour. I do that via the abstract brushstrokes and almost childlike representation of parts of the body. A cartoonish hand holding a cigarette whilst the pains of life are etched in the subject’s face allow for light relief and, I believe, make the painting more visually digestible. 
All of this I say as a side note. I don’t like the idea of forcing my beliefs or ideas on to the viewer. I much prefer for people to take whatever they want from the paintings – draw their own conclusions, conceive of their own ideas behind each one. That is more fulfilling for me as the artist than to, perhaps egotistically, deliver a certain message through my art, eager for my thoughts to be heard. That has never been a goal. For me, art is such a subjective, personal and wonderful thing. It is not for me to tell you what you are to read in the works you are looking at, even if I created them. They are for you to take exactly what you choose from them’ – Louise Howard.