Lesley Skeates

Lesley is a landscape and floral painter. Using palette knives and thick oil paint, she works directly from nature. She has developed a painterly style, working at speed to capture fleeting moments of light, weather or tide. 

After graduating in Fine Art from Aberystwyth University, Lesley enjoyed a successful career as a Medical Artist, eventually settling in Edinburgh. During this time Lesley continued to paint for pleasure and now works as a painter full time.  

For Lesley, the colours of the natural world provide endless inspiration She is particularly attracted by the challenge of painting water, be it quiet reflections in a pond or the turbulent surf of the sea. She is often to be found under a tree beside a burn in all weathers capturing a scene in one sitting. 

“I am happiest immersed in the countryside, nestled beneath a tree or at the water’s edge, painting ‘en plein air’ directly from nature. I paint to share this experience – the warmth of the sun, the breeze, the bird song or the splash of the burn. Occasionally I glimpse a kingfisher or an unsuspecting deer that has wandered too close.

Recently, I have also found solace in local gardens and parks, and rediscovered the delights of studying flora in all its variety and splendour.

Using small panels I work ‘alla prima’, swiftly applying one thick layer of oil paint. Palette knives allow me to drag and push the colours into each other and create rich pattern and texture.”