Local Artists

Lesley's profile...

"During the 1970s, I graduated from Bolton College of Art and Design, as a Diploma Member of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers, now known as The Chartered Society of Designers. As a fully fledged Textile and Surface Pattern Designer I went on to design home furnishings, bedding, wallpapers and kitchen coordinates for many leading brands and local manufacturers.

Due to the rapid decline of our textile and wallcovering industries I decided to return to education for a chance to retrain in Fine Art.

More recently, I am completing my BA (Hons) Fine Art and Integrated Media degree at ELIHE, Blackburn very soon and hope to carry on developing my career as an up and coming emerging artist. As part of my degree course I have enjoyed photography and life drawing, experimenting with all types of media - drawing in particular - a very important part of my learning, as it underpins the foundations of my paintings.

My paintings are influenced by our beautiful local surrounding countryside and architectural and industrial heritage, trips abroad, my love for pattern and design and the inspirational art of Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely, both important in the area of 'Op art' - balance, movement and visual disturbance!

I use acrylic paints at the moment and have dabbled with oils which I hope to do more of. Oils seem to have a vibrant brilliance of colour and allow me to produce more depth and tone to a painting although not good to use if you don't have patience to allow for slower drying times.

During the last couple of years I have exhibited my work at Manchester Art Show and more recently at the 13th and 14th Central Lancashire Fine Art Fairs, the 'Open Exhibition' and the 'Open Focus Exhibition' at the Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, with the Higherford Mill Artist group at Pendle Heritage Centre, with Studio 6 artists at Todmorden Platform Gallery and at the Northern Life Centre, Nelson.

I have a studio at Unit 14, Higherford Mill, Gisburn Road, Barrowford and can be contacted there or by email latart@fsmail.net for viewing, commissions and workshops."