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Step into her studio and teaching space at Montebello Design Centre in Newlands, Cape Town and look around. There is no doubt that you are in Africa. Vibrant colour; bright sunlight; deep shadows; confident, energetic brush strokes; luscious palette knife work; strong tonal values…and, above all, a love for the diverse people of Africa and its breath taking beauty.
Inspired and stimulated by her many travels through Africa with her husband, Lesley finds the subjects for her paintings in the people she sees walking along dusty country roads, working in the fields or herding cattle and tending their flocks. On the streets of the cities she finds people waiting for taxis and buses; selling fruit or flowers; or walking and jogging along a promenade. Whether it’s a landscape, a seascape or a city scene, there is rarely a painting by Lesley without a figure in it.
Then, for a change of pace, you will find portraits full of life and vigour, serene flower studies and striking still life compositions. Her rich, glowing oils have found their way into both private and corporate collections throughout South Africa and many are regularly shipped around the world.
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