Louise Gillard is a figurative painter and art teacher, living and working in Battersea. Gillard finds inspiration everywhere, from the simplest dinghy moored in a west country harbour to the bustling streets and commons near her home in Wandsworth. Lately they have stayed close to home, painting and drawing plein air throughout lockdown, and recording the shifting seasons on Wandsworth and Clapham Commons. Gillard has left the house at 4 am to capture the sunrise and stayed out until dark to record sunset and twilight. Although they often complete their paintings in one or two outdoor sittings, Gillard also travels with a sketchbook and brings back studies to the studio to work up into larger pieces. Gillard usually paint with oils or soft pastels, but also use acrylics, gouache and watercolour. Gillard has exhibited at a number of galleries and art fairs, plus several Wandsworth Artists' Open Houses, and has been selected for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2020 and several Chelsea Art Society Annual Exhibitions. In 2017 they won the Jackson's Pastel Landscapes competition. Louise also completes numerous private commissions and has work hanging in homes around the UK and abroad.