In Catfood and Wine: Louise Howard @ 144 Kensington Church Street
With an utterly refreshing take on art and life, an incredible new collection has graced the London art scene. Upon the canvases, the signature of British artist Louise Howard is carved into the viscous impasto of the abstract forms. Surrounded by thick swabs of paint, eyes brimming with emotion, whilst a shockingly life-like mouse makes an appearance alongside Leonard Cohen—the artist’s characterful cat. The intimate pieces adorn the walls of an intimate space, a true celebration of Howard’s greatest collection yet, In Catfood and Wine.
Louise Howard, In Catfood and Wine. Photo Courtesy: the artist
Life brings its challenges. And with these challenges, there is a natural reliance upon necessities whilst simple pleasures provide a lifeline. For British artist, Louise Howard, as long as she had cat food for Leonard Cohen and wine for herself, she knew she was going to be okay. This new collection by Howard celebrates resilience and the beauty that can emerge from the toughest times. Bringing together abstraction and realism in a unique concoction, Howard’s signature focus on eyes and female faces remains throughout, exhibiting her extreme skill and mastery of detail.
The women depicted in her artworks aren’t models; Howard chooses ‘normal’ people as the focus for her artworks. She searches for, and celebrates, individual beauty rather than the conventional beauty that is plastered over billboards and magazines. This focus on individuality is a reoccurring theme throughout, as she leaves each painting open for the viewers interpretation. She doesn’t demand that a certain story is told through each work, nor does each work have a title that dictates what must be seen—the titles are private anecdotes for Howard. With a refreshing attitude, Howard told me, “My voice is no more important than anyone else’s, so why should I force it upon people?”. She encourages people to interpret the pieces themselves. In the digital age, we are constantly bombarded with others’ opinions, views, and traumas. Offering an experience like few other artists, Howard asks that you take from her art what you want, what you need; you do not require any certain context or have knowledge of a certain event or movement to understand her works. They are empty, yet powerful, messages; whatever you may subconsciously desire from them, you can find.
Louise Howard, Spoons. Photo Courtesy: the artist
Around the face and hands that are rendered with extreme precision, paint has been slathered onto the canvas. Thick and textural, in works such as Spoons, the nose is depicted through the simplest of forms: a black triangle with two pink circles for nostrils. The simplicity of this depiction alongside the playful colour palette is seen throughout Howard’s smaller works, where she provides a juxtaposition to the sincerity that is seen in the eyes and faces. The childlike forms add a sense of playfulness, which Howard claims makes the pieces more visually digestible, whilst contrasting beautifully with the realism to capture the multifaceted nature of human existence.
Louise Howard, Slush Puppy, Leonard and Co., and Sweet and Low, on display at 144 Kensington Church Street. Photo Courtesy: the artist.
Slush puppy, Sweet and low and Leonard and co. create a triptych exhibited together on one wall of the gallery. A true study of the beauty and expressions found in female faces, these works truly show Howard’s focus on the authenticity of life. Sombre faces are surrounded by abstracted shapes that seem to represent crowns—a complete coincidence that Howard hadn’t even noticed until it was pointed out to her at the opening night of the exhibition. This highlights the importance of interpretation in Howard’s works—these shapes could be construed as hair, crowns or just abstracted forms; their interpretation is completely subjective to the viewer. One could see the figures as crowned, and the paintings would therefore be a celebration of women. The forms could be seen as hair reduced to abstracted shapes, bringing the focus onto the faces and their direct gazes, challenging the viewer to home in on the emotions shown on their faces. Howard’s works are an open book, set to be read as the story that each viewer needs.
Louise Howard, Slush puppy. Photo Courtesy: the artist.
A collection that serves the viewer completely, these new works from Howard are like no other: stimulating and unusual, beautiful and moving. This new collection captures the eye, imagination and mind, stimulating, intriguing and inspiring anyone who is lucky enough to be in the presence of these glorious canvases.