About Louisa

Louisa Elkin is a visual artist focused on contemporary abstraction of west coast landscapes and bold graphic designs on wearable and functional art. Over the past twenty years she has continuously expanded and extended her studio and plein air practise. Louisa shares her time between her home studio on Hornby Island and her home studio in Victoria.

Louisa sees the world in colour, light, forms and textures: as the late philosopher Alan Watts wrote “…our thoughts and ideas ARE nature, just as much as waves on the ocean and clouds in the sky.”

The place where the sea meets the shore and the beauty of the West Coast is an unlimited source of inspiration for her work.

Louisa has sought teachers over the past three decades to extend and expand her practise. She completed a Bachelor of Education specializing in Visual Arts Education at the University of Victoria and then went on to study at the Victoria College of Art, completing a Summer Immersion program as well as many courses in painting, drawing, design, printmaking and sculpture. She later studied with Bill Porteous learning methods of life drawing and abstraction, and with accomplished and well known portrait painters, David Goatley and Justin Ogilvie, to extend her skills in painting portraits. She has explored ecology and the natural world and integrated her beliefs into her life, her family, her teaching and her painting practise.She is a life long learner and a curious and creative pragmatic optimist in her approach to life.

She has drawn inspiration from both contemporary and historical painters. Group of Seven artists Lauren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, and E. Carmichael and their commitment to painting en plein air and abstracting the landscapes of this country has inspired her to take her supplies and sit outdoors and paint. She often works on Hornby Island to build paintings rich with the calmness and deep beauty of this island haven. Emily Carr, also a pioneer of taking her paints and working directly from nature, with her bold use of colour and textured brush strokes, has been a strong influence. Historical influences include Van Gogh and Cezanne whose bold, colourful depictions of landscapes, using plein air painting and abstraction, helped her take risks and continue to experiment and play in her work.