Biography
Born in Portsmouth in 1974, Louise Duggan is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chichester whose mixed media practice explores identity, transformation, and emotional depth. Her work is shaped through a considered process of planning, reflection, and responsiveness—allowing material, gesture, and composition to evolve as each piece develops. Through layered acrylics, textured mediums, and gold leaf, she creates abstract yet emotionally charged works that reflect personal experience, memory, and the subconscious.
Louise spent her early years travelling across Africa. These experiences, alongside her mixed-race heritage, continue to inform her visual language—particularly her use of colour, rhythm, and movement. They sit alongside a strong sense of balance and composition developed through decades of professional practice. Her work prioritises emotional resonance over literal narrative, inviting connection through feeling rather than explanation.
Louise studied Art and Design at Leicester University (BA Hons) before building a successful career in high-end interior design. She spent 23 years in Dubai creating bespoke artworks for luxury interiors, including a major commission for the iconic Burj Al Arab. In 2011, she founded Ophelia Art Consultancy, specialising in consulting and sourcing artwork for international hotel brands across the Middle East.
Alongside her consultancy work, Louise mentor’s artists and provides business coaching for creatives and creative businesses, drawing on over 30 years of experience across fine art, design, and the commercial art world. She is also the founder of Sussex Creative Art Network CIC, a UK-based non-profit supporting artists through exhibitions and community-led initiatives. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Arabian Vogue and World of Interiors.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings begin with a narrative or emotional thread rather than a fixed plan. I start with a sense of something I am carrying—an idea, a feeling, or a question—and allow the work to unfold through the act of painting. The outcome is never predetermined; it reveals itself gradually through process, revision, and response.
I work with acrylics, mixed media, and gold leaf, building surfaces through layering, mark-making, and interruption. Earlier decisions remain visible, creating depth and texture that reflect the way experiences overlap and accumulate over time. Gold leaf introduces moments of light and contrast, drawing attention to areas of tension, pause, or transformation.
The paintings often sit in an in-between space—between chaos and clarity, control and release. Rather than telling a literal story, the work invites the viewer to respond intuitively, bringing their own associations and emotions to the surface. At its core, my practice explores what we carry emotionally and psychologically, offering space for complexity and slower engagement.
