About

Carla Raads is a contemporary abstract artist from South Africa who lives in Lytham.

Her unique style of painting exclusively with her hands has resulted in works that display action and emotion. Mainly specialising in her unique seascapes. Working mainly on canvas, the work is textual due to the generous application of acrylic done with the hand.

Raads enjoys other subject matter too, like landscapes and sunsets of a calmer nature.  Most of the completed works are varnished to give the water a more authentic sheen and each piece authenticated with an original handprint as her signature.

Locally trained. Raads attended Blackpool and Fylde College for foundational art studies and Manchester Met University for Design. During this time she was also mentored by the late Philippe Aird at his studio in Hulme.  She would spend a further 3 years with Philippe and other artists at the phoenix galleries, where they would experiment with mediums and different paint techniques.

Raads learnt much of her free organic approach to painting from her mentor Phil, however takes most of her inspiration from nature and the ocean.

She will also be hosting her first solo exhibition at the Heritage centre in Lytham From 2 – 21 June 2020

A selection of Carla's work