Artist Louis Poole paints simple, colorful portraits of homes he sees while driving through the country, in older neighborhoods or near the coast. (Photo by Beth Furgurson)
WHO: Louis Poole
WHERE: Glavé Kocen
WHEN: April 1-30
Louis Poole painted his first house about 30 years ago after passing the same, pink stucco house on Parham Road daily. “I saw it under all different conditions,” he recalls, “with changing light and shadows.” He sold the resulting 7-by-8-foot painting to Best Products and the trajectory of his career was set.
At the time, Poole, who studied painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, was an abstract painter who made large color field paintings. By focusing on houses, he saw a new way to explore color and geometry by painting something everyone could relate to.
Poole paints colorful images of simple houses he sees while driving through the country, in older neighborhoods, or near the coast. “I’ve done so many now that I will often start a painting, change a roofline and sort of invent my own house,” he says.
Even though the paintings do not show any figures, viewers can easily imagine who may live inside. “[The houses] have their own personalities that develop over time,” he says. “They are sort of like geometric figure paintings."
1 of 5
“Untitled,” oil on canvas over panel, 28x35 inches. (Painting by Louis Poole)
2 of 5
“on the plain,” oil on panel, 12x14 inches. (Painting by Louis Poole)
3 of 5
“DORMER,” oil on canvas over panel, 28x35 inches. (Painting by Louis Poole)
4 of 5
“FOUR SQUARE,” oil on panel, 12X14 inches. (Painting by Louis Poole)
5 of 5
“ORANGE BUNGALOW,” oil on canvas over panel, 32x40 inches. (Painting by Louis Poole)
