Hop to it! Suffolk 2025 Artist Spotlight – Gina & Louise Richardson

Gina and Louise Richardson are sisters, originally from Felixstowe, although Louise is now based in Ipswich. 

Their Hop to it! hare is their first joint project, which they say is very exciting. ‘It’s Gina’s design and we’re working together as a team to paint it,’ says Louise.

‘Creativity has been a part of our lives for as long as we can remember. Our mum was a stained glass artist, and we grew up surrounded by her work. Some of my earliest memories are of sketching in the corner of her workshop while she cut glass. 

‘I’m now a professional illustrator and greeting card publisher, while Gina creates art in her spare time alongside her full-time job as a retail manager. She’s still exploring her artistic path, but her creativity has always been a huge part of who she is.’

Gina’s style is expressive and sketchy, often using watercolours and loose, dynamic lines. Her original hare design was a watercolour painting, but since that doesn’t translate perfectly onto a 3D sculpture, Gina and Louise have adapted it using emulsion paints, paint pens, and even liquid gold for the finer details. 

‘My own artwork is much more polished and precise,’ says Louise. ‘I work digitally, with clean lines and refined compositions, so this project has been a fun mix of both our approaches.’

They got involved with Hop to it! after Louise became aware of local creatives talking about the deadline approaching. 

‘Gina popped over one evening after work, and I basically forced her to design a hare! We spent the evening sketching together. I helped her with her submission and her design was chosen.’

This project has been an incredible experience, they say, but also a steep learning curve. ‘It’s our first time working together on something like this and our first time painting a large 3D sculpture. We really wanted to push ourselves to do justice to Gina’s design.

‘One of the biggest challenges was choosing colours. We must have spent an entire day in B&Q! 

‘At the end of the trail, the hares are auctioned off to raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice, so we want to make sure ours is something people will love and want to bid on.

‘More than anything, this project has been a chance for us to spend time together, be creative, and contribute to something meaningful,’ says Louise. ‘It’s a privilege to be part of Hop to it! Suffolk 2025, knowing that our hare will directly support the hospice’s incredible work.’