My work is inspired by nature’s delicate balance of chaos and order; the haphazard and wild, in harmony with the deliberate and intentional. The paintings, unspecific of time and place invite viewers into the future - or the past - or perhaps a dream. Inspired by natural phenomena and light’s ability to function as both an illusion and something tangible, the works toggle between representational and abstract, with brushwork and pigments serving simultaneously as material and light. Experimentation with mark-making and an intuitive approach recuses the paint from a purely descriptive function, offering the viewer an invitation to wander, linger, and discover. 

Anchored among a deep history of landscape painters in Maine, I paint (often en plein air), amid the backdrop of a climate crisis. While the subject matter is visually devoid of human artifacts, the paintings present moments of the natural world dematerializing and regenerating, serving as a reminder of the potential power - and danger - of human influence on the environment. I hope my work encourages people to question one’s own physical and figurative position in our world and how that shapes what we see and feel – and what we don’t.

Louisa Sagendorph Donelson (born Massachusetts, 1983) is an artist living in Portland, Maine. Her practice is influenced by the order and chaos of the natural world, vast dream-like states, moving meditation, and the climate crisis. She was raised by printmaker and photographer parents and a writer sister. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.