Luisa Holden, Turquoise Shoreline, mixed media on paper
Luisa Holden
Holden’s semi-representational style captures a sense of atmosphere and energy in her artwork, creating bold and spontaneous images.
Luisa Holden is a contemporary painter based in the historic English city of York. Her work is known for its spontaneous, semi-representational/abstract style, often depicting the dramatic landscapes and coastlines of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Cornwall.
In her paintings, Holden focuses on capturing a sense of atmosphere and energy rather than a more realistic depiction of ocean waters, high cliffs, rocky beaches, and sandy dunes. She also paints still lifes, creating stunning abstracts with bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors.
Holden has exhibited throughout Yorkshire, including solo shows at the Helmsley Arts Centre and Beningbrough Hall, and her art is in collections in the U.K., U.S., Sweden, Germany, and Ireland. She is a member of Leeds Fine Artists, one of the oldest regional arts bodies in the U.K., and earlier this year was elected as a member of the Society of Women Artists, a prestigious British organization established in 1855.
Art and Color 365 recently spoke with Holden about her work, including the sketchbooks she uses to create working studies for larger paintings. Here are excerpts from the interview.
How did you decide to begin working in abstracts?
It's been very much a progression. My early work was more representational, but it became a lot looser and more expressive as I found I wanted to push the boundaries and explore the interplay of shapes and blocks of color and just generally experiment. Painting became more about what I chose to leave out rather than what I included.
Luisa Holden, Afterglow, mixed media on paper
Luisa Holden painting in Cornwall
How do you approach a painting?
I like to approach a painting with energy and spontaneity. This usually means diving in with a large palette knife and brushes, pushing color around, establishing darker tonal areas and generally just getting a feel for the painting without getting too tied up with details. Any set plans usually hinder my practice. I prefer the painting to be free of too many constraints, to have the freedom to develop how it wants to. If my first stance in starting a work is risk averse and timid, the painting is doomed to failure from the start for me. Boldness and a carefree attitude are paramount because it's that energy that really sets the course of the painting.
Luisa Holden, Flower Studies sketchbooks, mixed media on paper. Clockwise from top left: “Orange Flowers,” “Yellow Spray,” “Poppies,“ “Lilies,”
Do you work from life when painting landscapes?
I sometimes work from life by capturing quick tonal and color studies in sketchbooks which I will work up in the studio later. I only use sketches and photos as loose references as I like the painting to evolve and take on a life of its own. I am increasingly working from imagination these days and it's so freeing, just allowing the work to flow, introducing colors and shapes because it looks good and achieves balance and interest, not because it's a true representation.
How do you determine a color palette for each piece?
Usually I just get a feeling for a palette I want to use — ultramarine blue and indigo with neutral greys and creams, khaki with pink or peach with burnt umber, for example — and I will play with these hues in my color studies. Having a color theme avoids using too many colors; it's often the case that less is more. I sometimes work with a very limited palette — just the three primary colors plus black and white. It's amazing how many subtle colors you can achieve this way and it also helps the colors to harmonize.
Your work is usually listed as mixed media. What are some of the media you use and what are your favorites?
I primarily use heavy body and sometimes soft body acrylic paint because they are so versatile; they're fast drying so I can work up multiple layers and glazes quickly and the vibrancy of the colors is amazing. Alongside acrylics, I incorporate other water-based media such as watercolor, acrylic inks, and water-soluble crayons and pencils. I also add collage and dry media such as charcoal, graphite, and oil pastel for mark making.
I recently invested in a fuller range of Caran D'ache Neocolor Aquarelle pastels which I love because the rich pigments bleed so beautifully to complement the acrylics. Liquitex acrylic inks are also my favorites, particularly some of the transparents such as "Muted Violet."
Luisa Holden, detail of A Walk on the Heath concertina sketchbook
Why do you add gold leaf to some of your work?
I started introducing gold, silver, and copper leaf into my work a few years ago because I loved the way it sparkled and reflected light. Seascapes are my favorite subject matter for gold leaf as the blues and gold work so well together and it gives a sparkling effect on the sea and shoreline.
Do you always work in sketchbooks or do you create sketchbooks of a particular series or collection of paintings?
Sketchbooks are important to my working process, either painting directly in them or mounting loose pieces of paper in them. I find having themed sketchbooks entitled Moorland Skies or Abstract Flowers, for example, helps when I'm looking for ideas and inspiration for larger paintings on panel and canvas. I like to work on a series of paintings such as my Craggy Landscapes as it helps me focus on one particular theme, making the work more exploratory. I also like to work on several pieces at the same time.
I then work in layers, allowing the initial marks to remain or show through, and gradually introducing more colors and connecting large shapes so it doesn't look disjointed. I like to introduce mixed media into the painting fairly early, not just apply it right at the end. Sometimes I apply collage at the outset and I will occasionally use an acrylic textural medium, especially for rocky sea and landscapes.
Luisa Holden, detail of A Walk on the Heath concertina sketchbook
What do you like about the concertina style of sketchbooks?
It's the flow of the concertina sketchbooks that appeals to me, the way they open out like a never-ending painting as one image flows into the next. I like the gradual inclusion of colors so there isn't too much of a jump from one painting to another. I sometimes buy concertina sketchbooks with hardback covers in various shapes and sizes, but I also enjoy making my own which gives me more freedom regarding size and the number of pages I wish to include. Some of my homemade concertinas have centered around a certain project or theme such as a moorland walk or changing of a season.
When you paint, how do you know when a piece is finished? How do you decide when the balance is right?
Knowing when a painting is finished is often tricky for artists as there's that dread of overworking. For me, I feel a piece is finished when I don't feel I can add anything to it which can improve it, when I'm adding to it for the sake of it and risking losing the initial freshness. I like to scrutinize every part of the painting in isolation to check for any weak or boring areas, or areas that are too busy.
Having balance in a painting is important — it can often be a case of repeating a color in an opposite area which can make all the difference. This echoing of color can create harmony in a painting.
Discover more of Holden's work on her website, www.luisaholdenart.co.uk, at @luisa.holden_artist, and on Pinterest.
