Louisa Loakes

Louisa’s work blends elements from her fine art practice and her intuitive approach to textiles. During her time studying at Wimbledon School of Art, Louisa developed a particular interest in Abstract painting, which continues to ground and guide her work across a range of mediums.

Working from her studio in Peckham, Louisa’s practice is focused on the beautifully simple, slow art of hand-carved block printing. Having spent many years researching the craft, she draws particular inspiration from the processes involved in traditional Indian block printing, and her practice interweaves Eastern folk art traditions with forms and patterns familiar to western languages of abstraction. As a self-taught block printer, she approaches fabric like a painting – or one of her charcoal drawings – creating delicate, twisting patterns that repeat themselves across its surface. Distinctive in their simple use of geometric form, monochromatic palette and signature dash of hand-painted colour, Louisa’s hand-carved block printed patterns are charged with a human touch, the irregularities that appear in the printing process giving each piece a distinct energy and identity.