Gillian Barlow studied painting at London's Slade school of Fine Art.
Her work ranges from highly detailed portraits, interiors and botanical painting, to one-off artist's books, children's books and other published illustrations. She has worked as a Herald painter at London's College of Arms for 30 years.
After earning a Master's degree in Art History at the University of Sussex, studying under Professor Quentin Bell, she took a year's teacher training course, specialising in museum lecturing, with a placement at London's Tate Gallery.
While living in New York in the 1980s, Gillian began to explore again her early love of flowers and botanical painting, improved a slight knowledge of botany and continues to pursue this subject.
She has taught botanical painting widely, including many courses at the English Gardening School , and at London's Chelsea Physic Garden, where she now runs the ever-expanding archive of botanical paintings being produced by Members of the Garden's Florilegium Society. Gillian serves as a judge on the Royal Horticultural Society's Picture Panel, of which she is currently Chair.
Her paintings have been widely exhibited worldwide, and acquired by public collections such as the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; Royal Horticultural Society; Chelsea Physic Garden; British Council; Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Australia; Hunt Institute, at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA; Vassar College USA; and private collections including The Shirley Sherwood Collection.