Since giving up his role of Principle of Art at St Aloysius College in 1999, Gerard has established himself as a commendable figurative painter and his works are often met with comments like ‘it’s just like a photograph!’ -and of course they are impressively realistic, but they go deeper than that. Using relatives, friends and neighbours as models, Gerard paints what he knows. The outcome is a beautiful collection of emotional and engaging images which reveal a fleeting moment in the sitter’s story. There is also a real sense of patriotism in his work, with his pieces often featuring the Saltire and Scottish landscape, and you come to understand that this is an artist who is proud of his roots.
But it's not just his family and friends that Gerard paints! He has seen massive success with his portraits of some of Scotland’s most iconic figures and exhibiting these throughout the year has raised thousands for charity. In April of 2014, Gerard opened the doors to his exhibition ‘A Brush With Inspiration’ in New York city, and it quickly became one of the highlights of Scotland Week 2015. His incredible portraits of Billy Connolly and actor Alan Cumming featured, as did the sitters themselves – who came out to support Gerard on the opening night.
