Louise Rayner was born in Derbyshire in 1832, into a family deeply immersed in the arts. By the early 1840s, the Rayners had relocated to London, a move that placed them at the heart of Britain’s flourishing artistic scene.
Artistic talent ran strongly through the family - both parents were painters, and an impressive five of their daughters, including Louise, went on to pursue careers as professional artists. In this creative environment, Louise’s early aptitude was nurtured and refined.
She made her debut at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in 1852, exhibiting an oil painting at the age of just twenty. However, it was in the medium of watercolour that she found her true voice. By 1860, she had made the decision to work exclusively in watercolour, drawn to its clarity, luminosity and potential for fine detail, despite its reputation as one of the most technically challenging media.
Louise often travelled around Britain, frequently in the company of her brother Richard, an architect, whose work took him to a range of historic towns and cities. It was likely through these journeys that the siblings came to visit Edinburgh, a city whose picturesque streets and varied architecture offered ample inspiration. Her watercolours capture the atmosphere of the Scottish capital with remarkable sensitivity. Her Edinburgh views, rich in architectural detail and suffused with a soft, atmospheric light, reflect her exceptional skill and confident control of a medium that demands both precision and spontaneity.
