Dougal Matthews

My Into Africa exhibition is now on display at Fisherton Mill in Salisbury and I couldn’t be happier. Last week I was lucky enough to have a couple of days all to myself in the main gallery hanging my exhibition. It took me quite a bit of time to get all of the pieces upstairs, but once all the tooing and froing had been completed the joy of hanging at the work with the next task.
I don’t think I’ve seen so many of my large pieces all together at the same time and it’s a real thrill to see the entire collection.
On Friday evening was the private view, or big unveiling as I prefer to think of it. Guests were treated to the delicious food that Fisherton mill has to offer,  and Phil and I plied everyone with just enough wine to encourage a more convivial evening!
What was really lovely about the evening where the amount of people who have already been to Africa. Everyone took the time to tell me how my work reminded them of their visit and that really couldn’t have been more wonderful thing for them to have said.
I've created a book of my sketchbooks too which is on sale at the mill, which has become incredibly popular in just the first few days.

I’m also lucky enough to be able to have the time to be in the gallery every Tuesday and every Thursday throughout the exhibition, which is running until the 4th of April. This is such a delight for me as I get to speak to everyone and  there is plenty of room in the main gallery so I’m taking a different painting in each day to work on whilst I’m there. So if you’re in the Salisbury area do feel free to pop along at any time when the fish to Mill is open or on a Tuesday and Thursday if you would like to see me.

Regual readers know that last year I realised a lifelong dream to go on safari in Africa and paint the wildlife there. My exhibition at Fisherton Mill in March explores her fascination with the natural world and the endangered species found in Kenya.

Here's and extract from  Wiltshire living magazine, which features my Africa exhibition in this Month's issue

"My preoccupation with animals goes back to childhood. I've always been a country girl and grew up surrounded by fields of cows and sheep; as kids we used to love trying to spot the deer in The New Forest especially in winter time.”
When I gave up teaching a few years ago, to become a full time painter, I was primarily interested in the changing light on the landscape. My salisbury studio looks out over the valley across to Old Sarum and i’m obsessed with looking at light.”

Gradually though animals have taken over Louise’s work and she focuses on creating a connection between the viewer and the animal. The eyes of the animal draw you in and you find yourself face to face with something beguiling and beautiful.

“I’m so lucky to be able to see so many animals in the wild, I had no intention of going further afield until a conversation with my Dad.
In 2017 my Dad was very poorly in hospital and suggested I should paint lions. I said "No dad I'm sticking to British animals local to my studio”
"What about the Lions of Longleat, they’re in Wiltshire!”
He smiled his cheeky smile and winked his cheeky wink.
When my beloved Dad passed away I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't paint. Then one day, out of the blue, I painted a lion. I loved it and it sold almost straight away.”
"You were right again Pops!”

Over the past two years Louise’s African animals are becoming as popular as her British ones and last year she visited the Masai Mara to really experience the wildlife close up.

“The visit exceed all my expectations, I adored the Mara, it felt strangely familiar to me. Parts of the north conservancy reminded me of the New forest and then the vast plains of the main reserve felt like Salisbury plain!"

Whilst the landscape was familiar the wildlife was not.
“Nothing prepared my for how heavily my heart was beating as a lion approached the jeep, I could  have reached out and touched him!” One day a lion actually came up and sprayed our jeep, the result being when we visited another pride they were extremely interested in us. It was exhilarating, scary and wonderful all at the same time. I have some incredible photographs from that day”. When we got back to camp, we definitely had bragging rights that evening, even the guide was surprised by our experiences.
We were incredibly fortunate throughout the trip, seeing Cheetah, lion and elephant everyday and one day we were fortunate enough to see the drama and chaos of a river crossing, most surprising for that time of year!

The exhibition at Fisherton Mill that opens on March 1st covers Louise’s incredible travels. Her camera wasn’t the only important piece of equipment.
“ Even though my work is quite contemporary I’m still old school” Louise explains “I simply can’t travel without my sketchbook!. You’re really limited on luggage weight when you go to the Mara, but my sketchbooks and watercolours were essential to me”.

Louise's paintings are built up in layers and they spring from hours and hours sketching. She sketches in watercolour because it’s more portable and spontaneous, but her finished pieces are in oils.

“ I adore working oil oils. I start in a traditional way with a thin underpainting of burnt umber or french ultra. Slowly I build up the layers, creating depth and form. It’s only in the final layers that I can start being more spontaneous and us surprising colours and splashes and splatters”

The resulting work is uniquely her own. “Whilst I have huge influencers on my painting technique, Rembrandt, Turner, Monet…however I much prefer to take direct inspiration from the world around me”

Louise’s work is becoming more widely known, she produced prints with a publishing house and is now exhibited throughout the UK.

“I’m really looking forward to having a solo show in my home town. I can’t imagine not being able to paint the world as I see it and it's so nice to be able to share that here”.

“Into Africa” at Fisherton Mill gallery in Salisbury runs from the 1st March to 4th April 2020.