My Story
An artist drawn to gold, nature and faraway places
I’ve always been drawn to the decorative beauty of nature — birds, blossom, botanical forms and the way light can completely transform a surface.
Today, from my studio in Kent, I create paintings that bring together those enduring influences with my love of gold leaf, Chinoiserie and the colours and memories of a childhood spent in the Caribbean.
The colours I carried with me
I grew up between two very different worlds. At nine years old, my family moved from England to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and the seven years I spent there left an imprint that has never really faded.
The colour, tropical planting, brilliant light and extraordinary natural beauty of the Caribbean became part of my visual language long before I ever thought of myself as an artist. Life there wasn't always straightforward, and home wasn't always a place — it was something you carried with you.
Perhaps that's why I have always been drawn to creating beautiful spaces and objects. Painting became a way of bringing together memory, imagination and a sense of place — something that still runs quietly through my work today.
With mum & sister, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Finding my Way to Art
My route to becoming a working artist wasn't a particularly straight one. Creativity was always there, but it took time — and several different chapters of life — before painting became the thread that joined everything together.
I began working decoratively, painting furniture and interiors before moving into large-scale murals and bespoke commissions. I loved the challenge of creating something specifically for a person or a place, and over the years my work took me into homes, businesses and some wonderfully unexpected spaces.
Teaching became another important part of my creative life. Sharing techniques, encouraging people who don't necessarily think of themselves as artists, and watching their confidence grow has become every bit as rewarding as making the work myself.
Through all of it, I kept experimenting — with surfaces, materials, pattern and increasingly, gold leaf. Somewhere along the way, that beautiful, temperamental material became a defining part of my work.
Where it has lead me
Today, my creative life brings together several things I love: making original paintings, creating bespoke commissions, teaching and sharing what I've learned along the way.
Gold leaf has become a particular fascination. I love its unpredictability, the way it responds to changing light and the extraordinary possibilities it creates when combined with paint, pattern and natural forms. Much of my work continues to be influenced by birds, botanicals and the decorative traditions of Japan and East Asia.
More recently, YouTube has opened up an entirely new chapter. What began as another way to teach has grown into a wonderfully international community of people experimenting, learning and creating alongside me — and has given me an excuse to keep testing materials and asking, “I wonder what would happen if…?”
Whether I'm working on a large bespoke commission, experimenting in my Kent studio or helping someone pick up a paintbrush for the first time, that sense of curiosity is still at the heart of what I do.
Still Curious, Still Creating
I think the thing I love most about being an artist is that there is always something new to discover. A different material to try, a technique to explore, a painting waiting to take shape — or an idea that begins with the simple thought, I wonder what would happen if…?
These days my work moves between original paintings, bespoke commissions and teaching, both in person and through my growing online community. They may seem like different strands, but to me they're all part of the same thing: sharing the pleasure of making something beautiful.
I'm still experimenting, still learning and, happily, still never quite sure where the next idea might lead.
Louise Dean BA (Hons) Art & Design
A Member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen