Artist Statement

Louise Thomas ( Louise Lenz ) Born 1984 London

I work in oil painting, building images slowly through structure rather than gesture. My paintings often centre on architectural spaces containing water — swimming pools, lakes, spa interiors — environments where the body is implied but not always visible. These are spaces of suspension: between interior and exterior, exposure and containment, movement and stillness.

Water holds history. It reflects, absorbs, distorts. In pools and spas, architecture attempts to control it; in lakes, it resists containment. I am drawn to this tension between the built structure and the unstable surface. The paintings sit within that friction.

Form is constructed through underpainting. I begin by organising light and shadow, establishing a tonal architecture before introducing colour. Structure comes first; atmosphere follows. The process is deliberate and layered, allowing the image to emerge gradually rather than be declared quickly.

Many of the spaces I paint carry a sense of memory — not narrative memory, but spatial memory. The echo of tiled walls, the geometry of a basin, the still surface of a lake at dusk. They are quiet spaces, but not passive ones. They hold presence.

Biography

Louise Thomas (Louise Lenz)
Born 1984, London. Lives and works in Berlin.

Louise Thomas graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Falmouth School of Art in 2007, following a Foundation Diploma at Kingston University, London. During her studies she was awarded the Ferdynand Zweig Scholarship and was shortlisted for 4 New Sensations, organised by the Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4, and for the Celeste Painting Prize.

She has exhibited internationally in London, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. Solo exhibitions include Everybody is a Lake at Bischoff/Weiss, London (2010), Artifice of Paradise at Bischoff/Weiss (2013), and GTA Tru Life in Berlin (2013). Her work has also been shown at 10g Gallery, New York; Nous Tous, Los Angeles; EXILE Gallery, Berlin; and at Art Brussels with Bischoff/Weiss.

Thomas has undertaken residencies at the Florence Trust, London (2009–10) and NES, Skagaströnd, Iceland (2010). In 2019 she completed new work in response to a museum commission in Skagafjörður, Iceland.

Selected works and exhibitions can be viewed via
Louise Thomas on Artsy
https://www.artsy.net/artist/louise-thomas

She has also exhibited with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, where selected works can be viewed here:
https://kristinhjellegjerde.com/artists/45/works/

Hvammur (Copy)
Study - lounging by the pool (Copy)
A white sheet of paper featuring a black and white sketch of a grand, ornate room with detailed walls, a large central mirror, and elegant chairs. There are handwritten notes in green ink at the top, mentioning a price of $12 and a name 'Vittroc'.
Stone circle at night time (Copy)
Abstract painting of a swimming pool area with trees and landscape in muted colors, with red-orange water reflections at the bottom.
Painting of a coastal scene with waves crashing against a rocky cliff, a waterfall in the background, and a cloudy sky.
Riwaka Resurgence (Copy)
Study in olive green 30 x 40 cm Oil on board 2020
Hand in fur (after Gainsborough) (Copy)
Ebay Model ii (Copy)
A split painting of a landscape viewed through a window or glass, with the left side portraying a sunset or sunrise with soft lighting and clouds over trees, and the right side showing a brighter, earlier daylight scene with rolling hills, trees, and
Water park (Copy)
A collage featuring black and white ancient Greek temple ruins with mountains in the background, overlaid with colorful paint splatters and streaks, and a starry sky.
A colorful painting of a tropical landscape featuring tall palm trees, mountains in the background, a body of water, and steam or smoke rising from the foreground.
An abstract painting of a waterfall flowing over rocks into a pool, with palm trees and cityscape elements in the background, using warm oranges, blues, and browns.
Painting of an indoor tropical scene with water, rocks, palm trees, and an escalator in the center.
Art gallery with white walls and wooden floors displaying colorful paintings of nature scenes and a bridge.
A painting of a large black cloud or smoke over palm trees and buildings, with bright blue sky background.
A painting of a tropical scene at sunset with a large palm tree, hills in the background, and a thunderstorms lightning strike in the sky. There is a wooden structure on the right side.
A painting of a black and blue-colored bird perched on a branch in a dark, moody setting.
Painting of two women seated indoors, one in a white dress with a headscarf and the other in a red jacket, with blurred background elements.
A woman sitting on a vintage sofa, wearing a light-colored dress, with dark hair styled up, in a dimly lit room.
A woman wearing a hat and a pink dress holding a large pink oval-shaped object in front of her face, with a sunset sky in the background.
Dark abstract scene with large humanoid figures and futuristic architecture, featuring swirling mist and pools of water.
An impressionistic painting of a living room with a chandelier, paintings on the wall, a sofa, and a side table, rendered in warm earthy tones.