Louisa Saffioti

Artistic background

Having been brought up in a rural part of Somerset has influenced my work strongly. I lived in London for many years but am now based in Wiltshire. My paintings are often focused on the parks, rivers and open spaces. I like the accessibility of these areas and try to re-create something of their tranquillity and beauty in my paintings. I very much like working outside and I go out regularly to sketch and paint the landscapes and animals of my local area. Local landmarks such as Salisbury Cathedral often feature in my paintings. I like watercolour because of its subtlety for my landscapes, most of which are painted outside, directly on site and I enjoy painting outside in all seasons. I also paint chickens and waterfowl which I sketch from life in watercolour and then use these along with photos as reference material for my paintings. Although I work mostly in watercolour, I also occasionally produce work in pastel, acrylic and mixed media.

I exhibit my work in local exhibitions in Wiltshire as well as online. I have also taken part in the Bath and West of England show and the Chelsea Art Society open exhibition where I have sold work. I have had several solo shows over the years and one of my Salisbury Cathedral paintings was awarded a highly commended certificate at a Salisbury Group of Artists exhibition. In addition to this I have had work published in art magazines and most recently, an article published about painting chickens in watercolour. I have 20 years of experience as a Teaching Assistant and I have recently begun offering 1:1 watercolour tuition.