COINCIDING with the start of the 11th h.Art week, an exhibition at Castle House Hotel features the work of internationally acclaimed artist and photographer Jonathan Myles-Lea.
Self-taught with the aid of two pre-war books, Harold Speed’s The Practice and Science of Drawing and S J Solomon’s The Practice of Oil Painting , Jonathan has carved out a unique niche painting cartographically accurate and immensely detailed portraits of some of the country’s best known country houses and gardens.
Though he had always wanted to be a painter, copying a Gainsborough portrait at the age of 16, it was his friendship with Francis Bacon that gave him the confidence to pursue a career as an artist. Jonathan said: “When he saw my work, he told me ‘You are an artist, you will not be happy unless you are painting’.”
Today, Jonathan is the UK’s leading painter of country houses and gardens and his commissions include Highgrove, Sir Roy Strong’s Herefordshire garden The Laskett, Daylesford and Oprah Winfrey’s house in California.
Awarded the title Living National Treasure by Country Life magazine, he has completed more than 60 major commissions in 10 countries. Now resident in Herefordshire, the Castle House exhibition will also include some of Jonathan’s recent photographic works.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here