Louise Reynolds (b. 1998) is a figurative artist from Hamilton, Scotland. She studied at the Royal Drawing School on The Drawing Year 2021-22, having graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 2020 with first-class honours in Fine Art.
Processing the oversaturated daily news cycle and our constant consumption of media forms the crux of Louise Reynold’s practice. Noticing how often news sources juxtapose serious global issues with flippant popular or celebrity articles, Reynolds takes visual references from both ends of the cultural spectrum and transforms them into highly detailed, narrative-driven artworks that reconcile both high and low culture, reframing hierarchies of importance in a world of magical realism. Working primarily in coloured pencil and oil paint on wood, as well as etching, the strength of Reynold’s mark-making is seen in her considered use of line that plays with the grain of the wood.
When beginning a drawing or painting do you start with preparatory sketches or do the scenes evolve as you work?
I quickly scribble down ideas in my sketchbook as I’m working and reading when they crop up, so I can forget about them and be surprised when I flick through them in the studio later. Then I’ll make a slightly more developed drawing of the ideas that work just to establish the rough composition. I don’t like to make the plan too rigid, so that the opportunity for invention is always there.
You’ve spoken about removing hierarchical structures in your work, from medium to subject, what do you hope to achieve by doing this?
Since we receive our news through the internet, frivolous and serious stories are shown with equal weight on our screens. By giving coloured pencil on panel the same weight as oil painting, which is traditionally more ‘serious’ too, I can critique this structure through my medium as well as the stories I pull from. In some of my works there are also hierarchical pictorial codes I’m interested in destabilising, so the viewer never feels they’re receiving an authoritative statement from my work.
Lot 134. Louise Reynolds, Chance Encounter, 2026, Coloured pencil on plywood panel, 12.7 x 12.7 cm (5 x 5 in) (Left)
Lot 135. Louise Reynolds, Freshly Cut, 2026, Coloured pencil on plywood panel, 12.7 x 12.7 cm (5 x 5 in) (Right)
Many of your pieces feature dramatic mountainous landscapes or dense figurative scenes which appear to be taken from art historical references such as Romanticism or medieval frescoes. Are there any historical movements which you are inspired by more than others?
My inspiration comes from all kinds of art. I’m always rifling through my postcards, photographs and art books to find connections to what I’m thinking about at that moment. The elements of the natural world in my work are drawn from my background and time spent in the Scottish landscape. At the moment I’m thinking about some Odilon Redon works I saw recently for the first time in Paris and was blown away by, the incredible Kerry James Marshall show at the RA, recent paintings by Nadia Waheed, and an apocalyptic illuminated manuscript called the ‘Augsburg Book of Miracles’.
As trust in media and shared truths continues to fracture in an increasingly polarised world, how does this climate inform your work?
In many ways it would be easier to turn away and make work in a completely detached state, but I think it’s important to engage with the times we exist in. I especially draw from moments of horror in media positioned next to fad gossip, and how this format makes people desensitised to important stories. Therefore I think many of my works naturally contain elements of darkness pushed up against humour. Since I begin by scouring the media for words and phrases that spark inspiration, I want to make work that encourages conversation and reflection in the viewer. We are served so much imagery in our algorithms designed to dictate our feelings - what to buy, what news is important, who matters - so I want the work to resist polarisation.
Louise Reynolds, This is Actually My First Rodeo, 2024, Watercolour Pencils on Panel, 45.5 x 61cm (Exhibited at UNIT, London, in Red Sky at Morning (solo))
How do you navigate engaging with these issues sensitively as an artist?
I don’t propose any answers or assume to speak for anyone else - my works are made through a mindset of doubt, questioning and sensitivity. I position my work as a personal magical realism because although reality is the seed, the characters and environments are all drawn from my imagination. It’s a means of extracting the tangle of feelings and imagery I’m left with at the end of each day. My work is about expressing this soup of comedy and horror through my own lens, without creating documentary. I’m inspired by the greats of magical realist writing who managed to imbue their works with an implicit social and political grounding within the fantasy, which allowed their art to be appreciated from multiple perspectives.
The theme of this International Women’s Day accelerate action campaign is ‘Give to Gain,’ encouraging a mindset of generosity and collaboration – can you talk about how and if this resonates with you?
I completely relate to ‘Give to Gain’, since teaching art classes at the Royal Drawing School and writing about art techniques and materials for Jackson’s Art have both supplemented my practice so much. I’m constantly inspired by the young people I work with, and by the responses people have to my writing, so the more I do the more I learn in return. I also love supporting and feeling the support of the artists in my circle, and enjoying any chance to work together on a project. Community is built through generosity, and it’s especially important as women in the Arts to build each other up.
Do you have any projects on the horizon that you would like to share?
I have an upcoming duo exhibition with Edie Flowers. In preparation for the show we’re both experimenting with new ways of working, and making some work collaboratively. Keep an eye out for details in the near future!
Visit Louise's Website
Questions by Victoria Lucas
