After struggling with chronic rheumatoid arthritis and lupus for several years, a friend suggested my creative side needed to be nurtured after having ignored it for almost half a century. Listening to that creative voice, I found my way into oil painting and discovered a passion for it that relieved my stress and helped me control the arthritic flare-ups. Now relatively pain free, I continue to work full time as a Consultant Clinical Scientist in Oxford, but paint to relax and empty my mind of the daily stresses of life.
As a sientist I have always been deeply interested in how things work and why nature behaves as it does, and painting enables me to really look and see the intricate details and colour within everyday objects and the natural world. I love to figure out how to translate what I see on to canvas and often emphasise the colours and textures I observe in the final painting.
I am particularly drawn to the interface between man and nature; when choosing subjects for a still-life I find myself subconsciously drawn to natural objects such as fruit, shells or leaves, which become juxtaposed to man-made objects. Simiarly my landscapes and seascapes show hints of human activity within the environment - activity that works with, rather than against nature. I think we all can benefit from time in nature, and I hope to bring that feeling into people's homes through my art.
I paint primarily in oils, using an all prima technique. I paint quickly, using vibrant colours and often with a pallet knife to bring texture into the paintings. My paintings are impressionistic rather than hyper realistic.
As well as the cards on this site, I sell original paintings through my web-site, tracylesterart.com
If interested, you can follow my artistic journey on instagram or facebook.
