About Louise

The Short

Louise Courtenay-Dunn is a free-spirited British contemporary abstract artist. She produces colourful textured pieces inspired by her life growing up in East Barnet a small village on the outskirts of London. Currently, Louise creates out of her studio in Atlanta, Georgia with a view of her English inspired wildflower garden and cup of tea not far from reach.

The Long

I believe that painting is a roadmap, a snapshot showing the artist’s journey. All the while presenting the observer with a new world to explore and encouraging them to create their own narrative.

From a young age, I would watch my mum pick up a colored pencil and draw on the walls and backs of bathroom doors, lively animal characters and their stories. This sent a clear message to me that art and creativity have no confines. Tragically, she died when I was just ten years old. The gifts she left behind, live on in my paintings.

Many years later, I attended Middlesex University in London intent on becoming a fine artist. My earlier works were heavily influenced by the likes of Monet, Klee, Dufy and de Kooning. Mixing mediums (oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolors, inks) and layering them became design traits that remain a constant, still evident in my artwork today. These techniques fit in well with my love of all things recycled, affording me the opportunity to re use a canvas, allowing the old story to gently bleed into the new.

Still feeling a creative pull, I went on to complete a four year Knitwear design degree at Nottingham Trent University in Northern England.

Both painting and Knitwear design have remained my passion throughout my career. In the mid nineties, I moved from London “across the pond” to New York City. There, I enjoyed making my livelihood as both a knitwear designer and artist, successfully marrying the two. One of my core beliefs is that creativity forms an unending adventure filled with possibility. When you add a good dose of colour and some texture, you have the ultimate language of expression.

Fast forward a number of years (including a brief stint in San Francisco) and three wonderfully adventurous children later, we settled in Atlanta the place I now call home.