ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Through a series of creative exercises, experimental techniques and investigations into contemporary art practices, this workshop will allow you to tap back into a form of creating that comes from within, it will encourage you to look at things differently and create in a fresh, innovative manner in which to develop your art practice. It will help you to shed some old habits and allow you to explore a new and braver way to work.

The main aim of this workshop is to encourage each participant to stop creating with the final painting in mind; to stop looking for a finished product. Louise encourages a method of creative making which encompasses a working manner of continuous process and experimentation. She aims to teach each participant how to create a symbiotic relationship with their canvases through a process of research, exploration and investigation. By using a wide spectrum of materials and techniques, the ultimate goal is to create an on-going dialog with your work and allow your canvases to evolve over time, to allow your canvases speak to you, and help you to listen.

You will leave this workshop, not with finished pieces but with a whole set of new tools and ideas to bring back to your studio, a platform from which you can leap into a more exciting manner of working, which in turn will ultimately enable you create more interesting work.

“As an abstract painter, everyday in my studio, I feel a sense of excitement and fear when I look at a new canvas, as I strive to create intrigue for my viewer, aiming to give more than just visual pleasure. It is not a simple process of looking and recreating what one sees, in fact it’s the opposite, I have to create what cannot be seen. I intentionally do not to plan the image in advance, I work instinctively and allow the process to guide the development of my canvas, I like to discover a visual by accident, and come to that point where I can look at the canvas and say, “that’s it, I’m getting there, I’m on to something”.

This workshop is not recommended for absolute beginners.

Materials needed

A2 sketch pad

Your usual painting tools and materials, could include some / all of the following:

• brushes of various sizes, palette knives, sponges,

• Any unconventional painting tools you might like to use / try

• Variety of drawing pencils, colour pencils, charcoal, graphic pencils and pastels

• Selection of paints ( variety of colours) you like to use / want to try, could include oils, acrylics, inks or all 3

• Relevant mixers for the paints you use

• Various patterned / textured paper, card, cardboard or plastic Old paper, such as texts, print, newspaper, magazines

• Tool box with usual necessary materials such as, masking tape, scissors, Stanley knife, sellotape, cotton buds, cotton wool, kitchen roll, etc etc…

• Any unusual form you might be interested in drawing, rocks, stones, shells, wood, etc etc..

• Everything is optional, the more you bring to experiment with the more you will gain from the workshop

About LOUISE

Louise Cherry is an Irish artist living and working in Wicklow Town. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and group shows, through both conceptual photography and abstract painting. Louise’s art is held in both private and public collections home and abroad.

Louise has an extensive art practice that includes painting, photography, film, sculpture, performance and writing. Her current focus, abstract paintings, are an elaborate investigation of painting and deconstructing layer after layer of paint. Working instinctively each painting shows a depth and hint of numerous layering apparent in the final image. Created to excite and challenge Louise’s elaborated brave paintings will continue to intrigue every time you look at them.

In 2020, Louise opened her own gallery in Wicklow Town, the Louise Cherry Gallery which held its inaugural show in December that year, the gallery is a special gem in the heart of the town and worth a visit. Louise was a lecturer in photography at Dun Laoighaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) and with the Dublin City VEC for a number of years before leaving to focus on her art practice. Louise is also the founder and director of The art studio: a dedicated art space for the education and enjoyment of art for children. Louise has a first class masters in Visual Arts Practice from The Institute of Art, Design and Technology (2009), and she also graduated with a first class degree in Photography from The Dublin Institute of Technology (2001).

www.louisecherry.com