‘ My LOVE Of LIFE IS REFLECTED In My paintings’

Louise Dear has commissions from celebrities, such as Elton John and Rick Stein, and her work hangs in homes, restaurants and galleries worldwide. Her pieces are filled with vibrant blooms and beautiful women. Decorated with gold leaf, glitter and Swarovski crystals, they exude a sensual eroticism that’s both provocative and demure. We talked to Louise about her paintings and what inspires her, plus some of her current projects… What’s your process for creating a painting? i sand the aluminium, sprinkle it with water, then throw paint at it in vibrant, clashing colours. i love the way the water disperses oil-based paints and the materials evolve on their own. i also use metallic paint, glitter and sequined shapes. this rather chaotic stage needs several days to dry. the next stage is much more ordered. Measuring, ruling and masking the panels, i rub in oil pigments and gilt creams, creating stripes to order and define the chaos. fine lines of 24-carat gold leaf are also overlaid – they’re so fine they’re barely noticeable until set alight by a shard of sunlight. finally, i’ll choose an image to project onto the panel and render it in enamels, applied with a sable brush. How do people react to your art? Happily, people love them. they’re created with passion and i think that shows. My biggest collectors have up to 18 pieces in their home. What projects are you working on now? i’m working with bathroom specialists Victoria plum to create a bespoke louise Dear Collection of baths, basins and shower screens. i also work with Daisy Green Collection and have just completed a series of new works for scarlett Green, a new restaurant in the heart of soho, and there more new restaurants planned for next year.

Do you have any words of advice for people who’d like to buy art for their home? Buy from the heart and buy what you love. You’ll be looking at it every day so have something that makes you feel good.