Laxmi Hussain’s paintings stand out for their simplicity and clever use of color. Using blue ink almost exclusively, Hussain’s work focuses on the female body, showcasing its diversity.
Her choice of both color and subject is very personal, and ties to Hussain’s relationship with her mother. “I started using it around the time my mum got sick, but without realizing why,” she reflected in an interview with Purpledragon. “Then a few days before the one-year anniversary of my mum’s death, my sister sent me a gorgeous picture of Mum. She’s wearing a blue top with the sea behind her.”
According to Hussain, this photo is one of her first memories of her mother. “I remember standing at the feet of the photographer looking up. I realize that the color is linked to my memory of her.”
But though Hussain’s paintings stem from her personal observations and tie back to her roots, her art also has a universal appeal to it, and to women in particular. Inspired by real women, she finds the creative process empowering for her as an artist as well as an individual. Other sources of inspiration come from her immediate environment: the patterns of home interiors, the natural shapes of the outdoors, and the geometrics of architecture.
Hussain’s creative spirit sparked early on. As a child in London, she would lose hours after school sketching on the counter in her dad’s corner shop. But it took her some time and meandering to return to her original passion. According to Hussain, it was only after the birth of her first child that she took a leap of faith.
“Becoming a mother made me fearless,” she admits. “You realize that if you have enough energy and strength to do something so big, that nothing else is overwhelming anymore.”
These days, her distinctive style attracts commissions for illustrations and artwork from a variety of commercial clients and individuals. Hussain also exhibits her more personal pieces at galleries and art events around London. Scroll down to see some recent highlights from her Instagram page.
