Louise Sheridan
'Louise Sheridan talks of fragments of a visual diary but these are fragments which have simmered and matured and found their place in a kaleidoscope of memories. These are paintings rich in their colour and darknesses, and resonant with the accumulations of time.' Michael Harrison, Director, Kettle's Yard, 1992-2011
My work explores an interest in travel, memory and transience. In some pieces personal stories mix with imaginary landscapes. Organic forms transform and evolve. Extreme weather conditions, floods and the chaos that results are explored.
One series of works focusses on water and the Thames. I have lived by the river in London for much of my life and find it visually fascinating; the powerful flow of water, the rise and fall of the tides, the depth and strength of the currents and the changing light, colour and atmosphere. The foreshore reveals the river's half hidden objects and structures that display layers of history.
The environment, images and colours I experienced on a five month trip to India and Nepal had a profound effect on my work. I continue to use the Nepalese textured and translucent hand made paper that I first discovered in the Himalayas. Paintings were completed after travels to South East Asia, China, Iceland, Cuba and Costa Rica. My grandfather was Japanese and that influence can seen in some paintings.
Acrylic, ink, oil pastel and pencil are used on paper during my process of working, giving the work a layered quality. In earlier pieces, drawings and paintings were often cut up, reassembled and collaged together. Drawing is an important part of my thought process.
I completed a B.A. Hons. in Fine Art, Painting at Kingston Polytechnic and a Post-Graduate Course in Painting in Cyprus, assembling drawings and painted textiles within installations. Later I lived in Barcelona for a year gaining an M.A. in European Fine Art, Painting, at the Winchester School of Art, where I had time both to explore the city and to explore and experiment with different techniques. It was during this time that the wax reliefs and mixed media pieces began to emerge.
I regularly exhibit and have completed commissions in the UK and India. I run art workshops for special needs groups, most recently in a secure forensic mental health hospital and currently volunteer at the Action Space studio in Studio Voltaire.
Louise Sheridan
Please view my website and Instagram profile to see available work.
