Artist Q & A: Eric Louie

In conjunction with his new solo exhibition We Still Have Time, Vancouver-based artist Eric Louie sat down with us for an incredible new artist Q & A in which he discusses the role of the artist in uncertain times, how his work bridges the physical and digital realms, and the enduring relevance of painting today. We Still Have Time opens at Bau-Xi Vancouver on November 8 and runs through November 26, 2025.

Eric Louie, Sweetness After Rain. Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches


1. In a time when so much feels uncertain - politically, environmentally, existentially - what role do you believe the artist plays?

I think the role of artists has always been to communicate the human experience in ways
which can’t be said with words or standardized methods of expression. To speak from the
voice of the individual about broader issues affecting us all is a great freedom not everyone has… it certainly is a privilege to have a voice in these times that connects with others in a physical or expressive method.


2. Your process has long involved the use of an iPad in the initial stages of forming the composition of your paintings. How do you actually begin a physical painting - what is the first gesture or mark that anchors your process?

When starting a painting, there is the general image in my mind’s eye where I can see what I want to happen, and the other side of having that vision is whether I can transcribe it to something physical. Many creatives talk about the “lag” between ideas and ability to actualize them. The iPad acts as a mediator to try out directions before wasting any paint on dead ends. 

I start out with a background in most cases - could be white for the lighter ones, or grey or black for the darker pieces. Once putting in the forms I planned out, the editing process begins. This is where the paintings can go along as planned or diverge into something else completely.  I do like to surprise myself as much as possible after the controlled start - to be open to change and discovery through the work is exciting. This process can be intense as I work on up to ten pieces at a time.

Eric Louie, Living in the Now. Oil on canvas, 35 x 65 inches

3. There’s a distinct sculptural quality to your iconic forms, yet they exist within ethereal, almost dreamlike spaces. How do you approach the tension between solidity and fluidity in your works?

Each painting represents a different aspect of the same universe in my mind. Sometimes I explore more earthly scenes whereas others strip away the context into a more digital-like void - the floating idea in space literally embodied by the forms created. I feel like the monolithic forms represent bodies or vessels of sorts in a symbolic fashion. The ability to assemble and dismantle the forms is a freedom I’ve kept for myself to allow these ideas to become whatever I feel like making. With things being open-ended the 'rules of gravity' fall away.

Eric Louie, Sanctuary III. Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches


4. Many of your works appear to oscillate between emergence and dissolution. Do you think this visual rhythm mirrors something about how you, or others, experience the world right now?

There has been such an uptick of uncertainty and unease in the air - most notably since Covid and now the trade wars going on in the world. I think my pieces do oscillate between the familiar and the unknown in some parallels - that which is safe like the earth and that which is unknown, such as the future and technology. In this body of work I have a repeated light tunnel playing into this unknown future. I do like to think there is literally a brighter side yet to come in the aftermath.

5. Can you talk about scale in your work? How does the physicality of working on larger canvases affect your movement, your rhythm, or the energy of a piece?

I love working large when I can as it is the most immersive way to paint and create something imposing. It is a much more physical process to make a large painting and it takes time to see it clearly. Hopefully when people view the work it draws them in like I’m drawn in to romanticized worlds.


6. In some ways, your practice could be seen as a bridge between the tactile tradition of oil painting and the hyperreal visual language of the digital era. How do you see your work situated within this intersection?

Speaking about something digitally with a medium as old as painting has its challenges, but I like how paint pulls me back into the physical with one foot in both doors. I think now it's more important than ever to make real, one-of-a-kind works of art. Our world is super-saturated with ephemeral digital information. We need things that stay and reflect the experience of living now. Something for the great archive.

The artist at his Vancouver studio.