TRIPTYCH

2 August - 30 August 2025

LESLEY MCLAREN

Lesley is an established Scottish born painter, living on a beautiful farm in the Scottish Borders. Inspired by the stunning Borders landscape and huge variety of animal and bird life surrounding her cottage, she produces intricate oil paintings which reflect this fascination she has with the natural world. The Scottish landscape and light is beautiful and varied, from Belted Galloway cattle to Scottish Blackface sheep, barn owls, cats to dogs and wrens. This is the driving force behind Lesley's work. As well as the outdoors, Lesley is fascinated by windows and doors and the relationship between outside and inside. She also has produced many 'Window Still Lifes' and more recently interiors, inspired by her summerhouse. Inevitably, birds and animals, plants and flowers creep in to the 'inside'.

Born in Glasgow, Lesley swiftly headed south for many years to warmer climates to explore London, Kent and Devon where she enjoyed her time as an art student. Eventually the call to return home lead her to settle in the Borders where she has lived now for over 40 years. Arriving 'home', she trained as an Archeological Illustrator whilst her children were small which she enjoyed immensely. But soon the desire to get messy with oil paint set in and the rest is history. She has exhibited throughout the UK with great success, from London to Aberdeen.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My paintings reflect the fascination I have with the natural world, mostly that which surrounds me in my immediate environment. I live in the Scottish Borders, where the landscape and light is beautiful and varied – a rich source of inspiration, from Belted Galloway cattle to Scottish Blackface sheep, barn owls to wrens. I live in a small community beside a busy farm where there is an abundance of subjects to paint. As well as the Scottish landscape, animal and bird life I have a love of indoor objects of beauty too. I often scour my friends' homes, armed with my camera and sketch book. With my window or door scenes I try to bring the outside in so that there is a merging of environments; perhaps a blackbird or barn owl who tries his luck or a creeping vine meandering towards the window sill. A large bouquet of flowers deepens the link between interior and exterior. Usually a table holds carefully placed individual objects, each with its own story to tell, but also part of the whole coming together of the scene. There's an entire lifetime of inspiration in all the things I love.