“A believer in the importance beauty and the uplifting properties of Art, I like to think of my paintings as Talismans. They will reveal themselves over time with their rich histories of place, layers and colour.”

The emotional impact of nature and power of colour to impart that, is central to my practice. Contemporary painters such as; Gillian Ayres, Howard Hodgkin, Elizabeth Blackadder, Mary Fedden and Ivon Hitchens are an inspiration.
'Observed in the field and completed in the studio, my paintings becomes a hybrid between the real and imagined, the seen and the felt.'
I work on up to seven pieces at a time. Each collection contains both Landscapes and semi abstract Florals, whose styles and methods inform and compliment each other.

Art Foundation at York Art College was followed by a BA in English & Media and postgraduate training in Art Therapy. I worked for many years in Community Arts including mental and physical health and was Artist in Residence in the Renal Unit of York Hospital for six years.

A self-taught Painter I have been painting for twenty three years and exhibit widely. I have work in public and private collections at home and abroad.

“Observed in the field and completed in the studio, my paintings becomes a hybrid between the real and imagined, the seen and the felt.”

WATCH - Lesley painting in residence at Burton Agnes Hall, Yorkshire. Film by Emilie Flower.

Artist Statement

"I paint in chalky acrylic onto Birch Ply primed with Gesso. The elemental, 'earthy' properties of these materials support the core of my artistic practice, plein air Landscape painting.

My response to landscape is both emotional and spiritual. At a time when nature is under threat and engagement with the earth is eclipsed by a contemporary obsession with technology, I seek to record the fields, trees and furrows while we still have them. Current work is concerned with the landscape of the British Isles but my palette is sometimes still influenced by previous travels to India, Sri Lanka and Morocco.

Painting outside in the landscape and completing work in the studio, I sketch directly onto the board, capturing the immediacy of moment and place. The many layers of each painting contain the painterly journey from chaos and destruction to order and balance, mirroring the cycle of death and rebirth in the natural world and the evolution of human consciousness.”

“I try to capture the immediate presence of a moment. I am a hunter, catching seasons before they change. The power and subtlety of colour is central to my practice.”

WATCH: Lesley as Artist in Residence at Yorkshire Arboretum. Film by Special Day Films. View the Arboretum Collection