Interview

Paul Hatton learns about the defining artists that set Lois van Baarle on her upward trajectory in the art world, and the new influences she continues to find

Lois van Baarle has been impressing the art community for nearly two decades and what began as a hobby has evolved into a career. Through her evolving attitudes, the artist better known as Loish has never lost her creative passions, nor has she forgotten the community of artists that have helped her along the way. Speaking with ImagineFX, Lois traces her journey and influences. “I’ve always been interested in art and have been drawing since I was small,” she begins. “Ever since kindergarten, my peers and teachers called me an artist. However, I didn’t really have an ambition to become an artist as a career for much of my childhood because I was told it wasn’t possible.”

This narrative led Lois to settle into drawing as a hobby, choosing to pursue other avenues of education and work instead. Thankfully, something changed that in 2003, otherwise the wider world might never have been blessed with her artistic talents.

It was at this time, Lois says, that she discovered oekaki boards; places where artists can draw in a browser, post the results to a website and interact with comments about their work. “On these boards, I discovered numerous artists whose skills blew me away. I would spend hours on their art websites, noticing how they posted a mix of oekaki doodles alongside more finished pieces. My relationship with art completely changed from that point onwards.”

With this newfound community, Lois was spurred on to draw more than ever before. It became not just something she did in her free time, but a truly rewarding social activity.

After joining DeviantArt, Lois discovered a number of different artists that would shape her style and her understanding. “I became obsessed with drawing and eventually decided to pursue it as a career. I knew that it would be hard for me to fully focus on anything else.