You may have seen the colourful creations of Brighton-based artist Lois O' Hara speeding past you on a bus, brightening up a basketball court or on the side of a building. In this blog post, Lois talks us through how she crafted her signature style, what inspires her and what her creative process entails.
Lois has been creating art since she was little. Then, in 2019, she leapt and started earning a living as an artist, officially going self-employed. Lois has had many highlights so far, but a favourite of ours is her work on the UK's first 'art court' in Saunders Park, Brighton - a 10-minute walk from Plus X Innovation Brighton. Since then, art court fever has travelled to Perth, Australia and soon Bradford, England. These projects aimed to bring colour and positivity to the local community. One of her core values when creating is to have a positive social impact, and it's clear that Lois has mastered it.
You can't help but feel energised when you're looking at one of her murals or walking past her billboards. Especially for us Brightonians, who feel a natural pull to anything oceanic, we may have noticed that Lois's pieces resemble the ebb and flow of the sea, and that's no coincidence.
"My style has naturally developed over time as the movement of the sea inspires it, and I live in Brighton on the coast. I have always had a love of colour as I think that colour is such a great mood enhancer. So, with the fluidity and the colours combined, my style naturally started to flow over time into something which others have said is recognisable."
For the Plus X Innovation BRITE floors, Lois created a calming, warm space where people can take a moment to breathe, relax and take a break during an intense working day. It is part of the Plus X Innovation mission to offer areas of positivity as well as productivity. The Plus X Innovation team often hop out of the lift to members of the community, using the breakout space for calls or even a catch-up on the ergonomic sofas.
I created a botanical-inspired colour palette to reflect the tranquillity of having plants surround you.
Lois' inspiration comes from capturing the fluidity of an image in motion. Her main passion is bringing colour to everyday spaces. Music is a big part of her work process; rappers like Drake, Nav and Tory Lanez are the motivating soundtrack to Lois' design time. "I have to always listen to music when I am designing, and I like the idea of creating artwork that visualises music so it can be something you see, not just hear."
During the painting of her mural on the 4th floor of Plus X Innovation Brighton, you could hear the distant echo of rap in the workspaces and kitchenettes. You can tell when Lois has arrived in the building. Her colourful energy and exuberant spirit emanate through the space. In fact, we should probably create a Plus X Innovation and Lois playlist for Fridays on the rooftop!
No stranger to the art of collaboration, Lois has partnered up on projects such as creating portable chargers out of non-recyclable plastic with Gomi Design and creating colourful backpacks with Brighton based ethical clothing brand Lucy and Yak. When asked why Lois wanted to add Plus X Brighton to her portfolio, she responded:
I am a member of Plus X, and it is such a happy and positive place to work! It's an honour to have my artwork in the building.
It's an honour to have your artwork here, Lois. You can find Lois's artwork on the 4th floor of Plus X Innovation Brighton, the hub of the Plus X Innovation business support programme, BRITE. If you would like to check out Lois' art and find out more about the Plus X space, you can book a tour or trial day here.