We are wild about the ebullient escapism that Lou Haney's Rum Punch allows us to luxuriate in. Drenched in technicolor hues, the piece is exactly what the doctor ordered. We got to sit down with Haney, who celebrated her first release with us this past fall, and ask a few questions about her practice.
1. Your still life work and interior/exterior scenes are painted with such exuberance. What is your favorite thing about painting objects?
I love how objects can tell a story without people. I’m inspired by the Dutch Golden Age of still life paintings, artists like Willem Kalf and Willem Claesz Heda. The objects are both aspirational (showing off fancy things) but also philosophical (memento mori).  In a capitalist society, we are what we buy. “Better living through shopping!” We can show our virtue and/or taste through our purchases and interior decorating. My first real job was with a small interior designer in a small southern town. I believe my love of the decorative and ornamentation may have started there. I poured over wallpaper books and fabric samples in the interior design studio and marveled at the way a color could change a pattern and give it a totally different feel.Â
2. So much of your work has a heavy 60s aesthetic--what first drew you to painting through this lens?
I grew up in the Deep South which is not particularly modern. Although I was born in the 70s, when I visited my grandparents in small town West Tennessee, it was like a 1960s time capsule. I spend my time flipping through old magazines that my grandmother kept. I could retreat into a time that I only experienced through Better Homes and Gardens. When I go now to used bookstores or find old magazines, I have a similar feeling that I had at my grandparent’s house 40 years ago. I also was absolutely obsessed with all of the beach movies from the early 1960s when I was a preteen. I love the feeling of time travel and escapism through old movies, books, and magazines.
3. Is Rum Punch​ based on a particular memory associated with the drink?
Rum Punch​ is a collage painting that started with the floral textile in the background. I designed the pattern and had it printed in black and white. It was then stretched to the panel and altered through spray paint and acrylics. The colors of the pattern really determined the subject matter. The pinks, greens, and oranges really gave me a tropical vibe.Â
The rum drink with an umbrella reminds me of our post-COVID trip to Costa Rica. Nothing says vacation like a fancy cocktail.
