Louise's showcase is entitled 'Everything is a Work in Progress' and will show eight of her portraits depicting eight different artists who work at Boom Studios in Bangor. She started this project all the way back in 2019. She explains, "Marianne Kennerley, Director of Boom Studios, where I have a studio space, asked me to do a series of portraits of the artists working in Boom Studios back in 2019; seven years later I have finally put eight portraits on the wall, and the collection will be moving to the Carnegie Library’s Curve Gallery on 20 July."
ADHD shapes her art practice. “All my life I’ve had a deep interest in drawing portraits, but as many artistic people can tell you, there’s a constant fear of looking at that blank page and just starting. There’s a negative narrative in your head telling you you’re going to be disappointed with the result, or that someone out there is doing a better job than yourself… I’ve spent years being 'too busy' or self-sabotaging so that I don’t produce artwork."
"Interestingly at this time I followed a prompt from my brother to seek a diagnosis of ADHD, and that's when a few things suddenly fell into place for me. In going through the initial diagnostic conversations and understanding that my struggles were shared by other people, I started to give myself permission to try – even if the outcomes weren’t perfect – to produce some work. Instead of berating myself for my chaotically disorganised process, I began to see that process as my own unique way of working that suits me.
"I’m told it could be seven more years before my next diagnostic appointment, which could be detrimental for some people and the system needs to be hugely improved, but I’m taking the view that I’m going to be accepting of my chaotic artistic approach as it produces art that makes me feel content. I hope to add to this collection of portraits with a new batch in the next couple of years!”
Louise's art goes on display at the Carnegie Library Curve Gallery on 20 July and will be available for two weeks.
