Beth Louella: Finding the Good
Finding the Good Art Project: local artist Beth Louella is creating art that celebrates positives found during Covid times.
Beth explains “When Covid first hit and we experienced lockdown for the first time there was a lot of fear and negativity. I was struck by the cultural and individual changes coming from the global pandemic, especially the positive ones and I wanted to celebrate them through art to emphasise these good things and to uplift and encourage”. Beth received funding from the IOM Arts Council Covid Resilience Fund towards her ‘Finding the Good’ art project. The main areas she is focusing on are digital connection, activism, animals, spirituality and nature. Due to Covid restrictions the viewing of the artwork will mainly be digital exhibition with final artwork and progress videos on Beth Louella’s website www.bethlouella.com and her social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Art covering each positive will be released gradually, starting with ‘Join the Pattern Party’ for digital connection.
The vibrant portraits focus on the Instagram project #jointhepatternparty which encourages people to dress in specific patterns each day for a week or weekend and share their images and comments. The paintings feature the Isle of Man’s Ruby Biscoe-Taylor from the band Biskee Brisht and London based Léonie Flower from Léonie Flower Studio. Léonie Flower co-created and runs the #jointhepatternparty project with Victoria Tojeiro Gonzales. The portraits are based on selfie photography posted to Instagram as part of the #jointhepatternparty challenge and through colour, line, text and layout the art emphasises the positive connection between the two women who are geographically far apart.
Beth says “I follow Ruby on Instagram and apart from being inspired by her #jointhepatternparty photographs during lockdown, I was really interested by her comments about how taking part encouraged her to get dressed and how she was enjoying the project as a participant and a viewer. I find it exciting that someone hundreds of miles away can create an activity that positively impacts people here in the Isle of Man and all over the world in a simple and accessible way. The increase in digital connection and virtual opportunities means a big change for island dwellers and people living in remote areas. Suddenly events and meetings that would have cost hundreds or thousands of pounds and days overall to attend can be accessed in hours or less for little to no cost. Personally I have experienced increased global opportunities and had more connection with friends and family in other countries as so many gatherings have been virtual instead of physical.”
If you would like an opportunity to feature in the project, selfie photographs relating to ‘pet / animal connection’ and/or ‘relationship with nature’ can be emailed to Beth Louella (beth@bethlouella.com) or via direct message through Facebook or Instagram.
More about Beth Louella
Art focus: digital connection, activism, spirituality, animals and nature.
Funding towards the project from the IOM Arts Council Covid Resilience Fund.
Gradual release of art including progress videos starting with digital connection, ‘Join the PatternParty’ Ruby and Léonie portraits.
Art to be viewed digitally on website and social media platforms, project URL:
https://www.bethlouella.com/product-category/art-series/findingthegood/
- Website: www.bethlouella.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethlouella
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beth_louella_art/
- Tumblr: https://www.beth-louella-art.tumblr.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethlouella_art
Léonie Flower:
“#jointhepatternparty is a community of pattern lovers that started off as a week long instagram challenge in May 2020. Co-creators Léonie Flower (@leonieflowerstudio) and Victoria Tojeiro Gonzales (@happystuffstudio) started the challenge last year during the first lockdown as an excuse to dress up in colourful clothing, as a way to meet other pattern lovers, and MOSTLY to have some fun!
Since the first challenge, Léonie & Victoria set up an instagram account, website and hosted another week long challenge in the autumn and also a weekender that celebrated CMYK! They plan to do a few more this year so if you're a pattern lover head to @jointhepatternparty to find out when!”
About the artist:
Beth Louella has just been awarded the John Nicholson Annual Bursary Award for Visual Arts 2021. She creates celebratory paintings, mixed media pieces and drawings. Focusing largely on the human form, she explores a variety of emotional, physical, spiritual and social themes in her art.
Beth has studied art to postgraduate level; attending University of Arts London (B.S.A.D.),
Birmingham City University (U.C.E.) and Reading University. She has worked as an artist and illustrator for many years and over that time has created artwork for a range of clients; from global publishing houses to individuals on independent commissions.
“I celebrate through art because it encourages and uplifts which helps others and myself. My experience of life is that it can be amazingly beautiful and other times is can be painfully ugly; it is because of the painfully ugly parts I celebrate the amazingly beautiful. My art is overwhelmingly positive though it is very honest and when relevant, the difficult parts of life are acknowledged subtly in my pieces through symbolism. Surviving, healing, transformation and strength are common themes celebrated in my work.” Beth Louella.
Beth will be exhibiting in Ramsey as part of the Isle of Man Art Festival which is scheduled for August. Her painting ‘Pocahontas – Inspired by Her Intelligence and Bravery’ will be on display in the Boundaries curated art exhibition at the House of Manannan.
