Louise Gillard is a painter and art teacher, living in South West London. Her work is largely inspired by her immediate surroundings, whether it is the streets and commons near her home in Battersea or the harbours and coastline of the West Country where she grew up. She prefers painting the 'less obvious' view - an inconspicuous path through the common, a street corner, a tangle of shadows on the ground - and is ultimately drawn to the effects of light and atmosphere on landscapes and cityscapes.
Louise paints mostly plein air directly from the subject but sometimes takes small studies back into the studio to create larger works. She usually paints with oils or soft pastels but also uses acrylics, gouache and watercolour.
Louise completed a degree in French and Fine Art at the University of Exeter, specialising in painting. She honed her printmaking skills in London where she also attended courses in stained glass making and sculpture. After a career of some 25 years in publishing and marketing, Louise was able to transition to a full time career as an artist and art teacher in 2017.
Louise has exhibited at the Mall Galleries, Panter & Hall Gallery, Webbs Road Gallery, Putney Arts Theatre, Urban Art Fair and a number of open studios. She has been selected several times for the Pastel Society and Chelsea Art Society annual exhibitions, as well as Art for Youth. In 2017 she won the Jacksons Pastel Landscapes competition and, in 2020, was a semi-finalist in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year.
Most of the artworks on this site are for sale. Please take a look and contact Louise if you are interested in buying, viewing, commissioning something or would like to be kept informed of exhibitions and other places you can see Louise's work.