Antiques and vintager dealer and creator of cult typographic prints, Louise McCabe has been procuring original vintage artwork for a long roster of clients for many years. She founded ERAS to bring vintage inspired pieces to the modern home.
Q. When did your love of art begin? Did you have an inspirational teacher or were you surrounded by a creative family? And which artists, living or dead inspire you?
I come from a creative family but in performing not visual arts. I hated art at school and can’t tell you any of my teachers names but like a lot of young girls in love for the first time, I faked an interest in what my older, more sophisticated boyfriend was into and he just so happened to be at a fancy art school. Though the relationship was short-lived my art appreciation wasn’t/isn’t!
In terms of inspiration - dead…just too many to mention but gun-to-head it would have to be Ernst Ludwig Kirchner for his wide brushstrokes and use of colour. Alive - Cindy Sherman all day every day. I’m also lucky enough to call the artist Henrietta Roeder a great mate. A lot of her work adorns the walls of loads of the Soho Houses. Check out her Insta to find out where she’s exhibiting.
Q. Your latest work is stunning, created with the help of AI, tell us more about it.
Thank you so much. So my background is in sourcing vintage art for clients home. Often someone will love something but wish it were in slightly different colours or just slightly different. I’m often settling in terms of subject matter, colour and style etc so I saw a way to leverage my experience with the latest AI tech. At ERAS I have complete flexibility to create pieces that put a 2024 spin on a more 70’s aesthetic.
Q.What would you have been if you weren’t an artist?
Well depending on who you speak to, I’m not actually a “proper" artist ha ha but THANK YOU! And I’m 50 - I’ve been a LOT of things! .
Q. Best exhibition you’ve ever been to?
There’s lots that stand out but I feel I ought to shout out to one very special one that happened in my home city of Liverpool. I thought the Tate did an outstanding job with the Keith Haring exhibition. It was a beautiful day, I was with one of my best mates and we’re obsessed with all things 80’s NYC, and it just did such a phenomenal job of recreating a very specific moment in time - we bought the album in vinyl and went back to mine/drank/danced.
Q.What would you have been if you weren’t an artist?
Well depending on who you speak to, I’m not actually a “proper" artist ha ha but THANK YOU! And I’m 50 - I’ve been a LOT of things! .
Q. You’re creating a piece of work, do you have music or silence? If music what’s the soundtrack to your day?
So one of my dearest friends Nick as the most wildly eclectic taste in music, and makes me the most incredible Spotify playlists. But if my daughters home it’s whatever she’s got me into, so right now I’m Chappell Roan/Charlie XCX OBSESSED!.
You created the "I LOVE YOU, IN FRENCH" print, which adorns the walls of a lot of interior influencers around the world, tell us a bit about it.
I was very lucky to have a totally crazy bonkers whirlwind few years with my ILYIF print. Never in a million years could I have imagined the phenomenon it would become, living on thousands of peoples walls all over the world - madness. It came about when I had a little antiques concession and sold other peoples typeographic prints. Style wise I’m all about a high/low mix and the type prints I sold made the antiques feel fresh and cool, and the antiques elevated the prints and made them something other than a trend- led “here today gone tomorrow” piece of art which I’m not into and never wanted with my print. I wanted something people could hang forever, I loathe trends. When I started selling antiques online, commercially I needed to make some money and create a product with mass appeal and decided to create my own print. The phrase itself was so devastatingly simple I couldn’t believe anyone else hadn’t done it. I wish I could tell you it was something I laboured over creatively to make myself sound smarter than I am, but truthfully it was a bit of a piss take on our obsession with all things Francais. But in English! So I scribbled it down on the back of a B&Q receipt to see what it read like and got to work and that was it. I no longer sell it as I just felt trapped by it and wanted to head in another direction but Fleux in Paris now stock it exclusively.
Your beautiful home has been featured in interiors magazines, is interiors a passion for you? Do you source vintage pieces for your home? tell us about your favourite pieces.
Interiors/antiques/vintage is my first love. I’ve collected for many many years and have a house full of amazing stuff sourced from all over the world. High/low, tacky/tasteful, Parisian flea markets, the local charity shop, eBay, FB marketplace, a skip - I just don’t care! It’s so hard to pick a favourite thing…ok so my sofa is a playpen 1975 modular sofa found on eBay and it’s just incredible to sit on AND look at, a huge palm tree 1970’s lamp bought from founder of Glassette Laura Jackson, and prob the one thing I would save in a fire after my kids and dog would be a huge 1960’s Doria Leuchten lamp from a Belgium flea market. I won’t let anyone near it ha! I’m only sourcing for myself at the moment but watch this space as I’m determined to have some kind of physical presence in my home city of Liverpool again at some point - I can’t NOT find lovely things for other people, it’s in my bones!
Images courtesy of 91 magazine
Comments