Unique Plates by Louise Harris

Unique Hand-painted Plates

Artwork that is conceived in collaboration with you, to meet your specific design requirements and then totally hand-painted and fired by the artist.

I design and paint plates to commission only. In close consultation with clients I first create original designs to suit their preferences and requirements.

If you want a truly unique, beautiful and useful item for your home or as a gift for someone else, then please contact me.

About the artist

Hello, I'm Louise Harris and after working in Academia for 21 years, I moved to France in 2007. I now live in a farmhouse in the beautiful countryside of the department of Vienne and I have set up a studio in one of our outhouses. This area is famous for its high-quality, decorative porcelain and I am delighted to have discovered and developed techniques in this art form whilst living here.

Painting on plates requires enormous patience as well as technical skill and it suits my temperament perfectly. I enjoy the whole process, from the initial, careful and lengthy creation of the design on paper to mixing the powdered pigments with media to the careful painting and multiple firings. Gradually my design emerges, layer upon layer, section by section. Darker colours have to be fired on top of paler ones and any gold highlights are the last things to be added. I do recommend a finishing touch of gold – it really 'lifts' the design!

When undertaking a commission I find that things like fabric and wallpaper swatches provided by clients, together with their stated likes and preferences provide me with a ready creative stimulus - my ideas soon flow. I usually like to do one of two things: I either take the shape of the round plates into account and produce circular, repetitive or radially symmetrical designs or I treat both round and square plates as canvases and paint the whole of the surface. Examples of both of these approaches can be seen in my gallery.

I particularly enjoy creating highly complex designs which involve geometric motifs, using a previously fired colour or the 'virgin' background white of the plate as a contrast to good effect. Whilst some of my designs are very formal and orderly, mathematical even, others are more free and organic, reflecting the true nature of leaves, flowers and fruits. Some have an almost 'patchwork' form, in which I juxtapose fields of different patterns and colours, creating glimpses of other planes, other layers. I love complexity in design.

When I manage to create something that is both beautiful and useful, and which pleases my clients, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I like to think that the great Victorian wallpaper and fabric designer William Morris – whose stunning work I have always admired enormously - would have looked kindly on my efforts.

I will paint a white porcelain plate for you in a style to suit your taste, home décor and colour scheme. The plates are kiln-fired at 800°C which fuses the colours to the porcelain for a permanent, gloss finish.

First choose the shape and size of the plate you would like. Then, to paint your plate, I will need something to inspire me and guide me as to your tastes. Send me something from your home that you love, such as a sample of curtain or upholstery fabric, a scrap of wallpaper or your favourite cushion cover or let me know which are your favourite artists. Perhaps you love Pop Art, Art Deco or Art Nouveau or would just like to have a beautiful plate painted with an exquisite design of naturalistic flowers and leaves. Whatever you like, I can design a plate to delight you and enhance your home. And as each piece is totally unique, no-one else will have anything like it.

Once we have agreed on the design and the price and after I have received a deposit from you, I will commence work on your plate. Each plate requires many hours of artwork and six or more kiln-firings, therefore the process from order to completion takes 4 – 6 weeks. Upon receipt of the balance of the agreed price, I will send you your plate. Any provided samples will be returned to you at the same time.

My unique plates make superb gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, house-warmings and any other occasion. Should you require a plate for a specific date, please order in plenty of time.

Each unique plate is signed on the reverse by the artist and comes with a certificate of authenticity. I do not paint copies of photographs or copy other people's work. All my designs are original and unique to me.

Commissioning a plate, step by step

1. The consultation phase

   Contact me by email. I will need to know lots of things, such as the size and shape of your chosen plate, the colours you would like me to use, your preferred decorative or artistic styles, any ideas you already have and so on.

   Samples of fabrics or wallpapers can be a very useful basis from which to work so please send any sample items to me.

2. The design phase

   Once I have a clear idea of the sort of colours, motifs and styles you like, I will create a design to suit your plate – this will be a drawing completed in coloured pencil. Note that colours on the completed plate will be much more vivid, as you can see from plates in my gallery.

   I will scan this image and send it to you via email. If you are happy with my proposed design then we will be ready to proceed. This design period normally takes up to two weeks. At this point we will agree the price for the plate and you will pay a deposit of £50 which is not refundable.

3. The production phase

   I will paint and kiln-fire the agreed design onto your plate. This normally takes up to four weeks.

   Once your plate is completed I will inform you and and you will send me the balance of the money which is outstanding. I will then send your completed plate to you via registered courier.

Please note: the entire process can take up to eight weeks. Due to the unique nature of each plate, refunds are not available. The process above has been carefully designed to ensure that you are totally happy with the plate that you have commissioned me to make for you.

Below is a sample of some of the most recent comissioned works. Each design is bespoke and designed to match an existing setting.

Miss J. H.

I was commissioned by Miss J H to paint a plate for her dining room. She provided me with a sample of her curtain fabric which had a pattern incorporating motifs from Medieval tapestries and calligraphy.

I produced a design for a Large Square Plate which incorporated a large, central letter 'J' (not found in the Medieval alphabet) and a rabbit taken from the famous fifteenth century French tapestry series called 'La Dame à La Licorne'.

History-lover Miss J. H. says:

I am delighted with my plate. It goes with my room perfectly and looks really stunning on my dining table. The design suits the square plate really well and I especially love my 'J' and the beautifully-painted little rabbit in the centre. Thank you, Louise.

Mr and Mrs J. B.

The design was inspired by the artist Eric Ravilious (1903 – 1942), famous for his timeless watercolour landscapes and lithographs of the English countryside. This artist is a favourite of theirs and they wanted something in his style – classical and peaceful. Mr J B also said he would like the plate to have a border design.

I familiarised myself with the artist's work and then produced a design for the plate in muted colours with a repeated, formal motif of the stylised leaves and fruits of native English trees: Oak, Maple and Hornbeam. The pale blue/grey 'sky' background also helps to give this piece a very 'English' feel.

Mr and Mrs J. B. say:

Thank you for making such a beautiful plate for us. What's nice is the fact that you have based your design on the examples I sent to you by Eric Ravilious etc. but its not a copy of his work. So it's one step on from him. The idea with the leaves and seeds is yours. Mainly you've copied his style of line work. The plate is lovely and we both really like it.

Mrs F. H.

Mrs F H commissioned me to paint a plate for her living room. She likes modern, simple designs and I used the motifs from her wallpaper and curtain fabric as a basis for my design.

Mrs F. H. says:

My plate is gorgeous and looks lovely on my pale, Maple-wood coffee table. Its cool colours and stylised flowers complement my room beautifully. I'm highly delighted with it.

Prices of plates will vary according to the size of the plate and the number of hours needed to complete the project. Prices are in British Pounds (Sterling).

Round plates

Square plates

Extras

Whilst all the sizes and shapes of plates offered can be used for serving foods if wished, flat plates 2 and 7 are particularly suitable for serving items like cheeses, cakes and tarts etc. For photographs of finished plates in each of the above sizes, please see the photo gallery.

Due to the completely bespoke commissioning process I will be contacting you throughout the design and firing of your plate. As such, there is no single order form for a plate. Please send me an email to begin the creation of your custom plate.

You can contact me on my personal email address:

[email protected]