Fine artist Louisa Risch, establishing her name through the elegant composition of her paintings, discusses her design inspiration with Busola Evans.
Artist Louisa Risch pictured in her studio with her works
Classically-trained painter Louisa Risch learnt to paint from a distance, using focus and impastos to celebrate beauty in nature. Alongside portrait painting, she loves to set-up still lifes and paint them quickly in an alla prima impressionist technique. She also does ‘plein air’ paintings, six of which are on the walls at Soho House in Paris. She is based at Chelsea Studios in London.
‘I am inspired by many different artists, from William Nicholson for my still-life painting, to John Singer Sargent for my portraits. I am constantly searching galleries for new inspiration, much of which informs my compositions and paint application. I greatly admire the Impressionists: their bold use of colour has such energy and feeling. Artists like Pissarro and Sisley have the power to transport you, or ignite long forgotten memories. My favourite painting at home is one I did of a friend of mine, who sat drinking wine and reading her book in the gardens of my studio on a beautiful sunny day; I painted her whilst we chatted. Heaven! But the one I most covet would be either The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough or Madame X by John Singer Sargent. The Blue Boy is a masterclass in fabric painting: everything from the silky blue knickerbockers to the perfect bows on the shoes has been painted to perfection. And Madame X is a masterpiece of anatomy painting – the hand resting on the table has inspired me in many portraits. Not to mention the shock factor: I believe it caused Sargent to be banned from the Salon in Paris, as it was considered too risqué at the time.
I love using colour in my work – it's what really excites me about painting. The colours that inspire me very much depend on the piece, but I adore blue and orange together. Colour harmonies are so satisfying. The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair is a must-read for any artist or designer. I think my favourite painting has to be a landscape I painted in Provence in 2019. It was a perfect day, and sometimes paintings just work from the very start: I painted it in three hours and it just worked. Looking at it takes me back to that magical time painting among the lavender.
‘My painting style switches between two polar opposites: for portraits, I am meticulous, and it takes time to get it right. I look to the Old Masters for painting techniques. For still lifes and landscape painting, you have to work faster to catch the light – the paint is applied faster and you have to think on your feet. However, in all my designs, I am looking at the passage of light – whether that's down a face, on a silver pot or where it catches the leaves on a tree.
‘My design process varies depending on the painting. In terms of composition, for a portrait – after having a conversation to get to know the model's character – I would have my model turn their head very slowly from left to right to see which composition works best with the light. For a still-life painting, I take photographs of different set-ups to find the best one compositionally. For landscapes, I just look around and find the best view, and then sketch my compositional ideas in charcoal before starting. A good painting can be described differently by everyone, but for me, different textures, and interesting colours pull me in. Over the next year, I’m working towards an exhibition of still-life and landscape paintings.’