ARTIST’S STATEMENT
“I am fascinated by faces. The challenge to portray an individual’s personality and likeness in paint is the passion that drives my painting. I love to explore different mediums as a way to bring interesting textural surfaces into the painting, telling the story.I am inspired by the visual world that surrounds me. In particular I enjoy watching people: their actions, habits, faces and expressions. As I live in both country N.S.W. and the big city of Sydney, these images are varied and reflect how surroundings can shape the people that live in each of these quite starkly different environments. I owe a debt of inspiration to my life companion and teacher, Joe Penn, as well as past luminaries such as Russell Drysdale, who so brilliantly portrayed the way the land shaped its’ occupants”
WEBSITE – www.lesleyoshea.com.au
TRAINING
Certificate in Fine Art (Seaforth TAFE)
Bachelor of Fine Arts, NationalArtSchool.
Various workshops
Since 2008 Lesley has been a Fellow of the Royal Art Society of NSW and a member of the Portrait Artists of Australia. She on the teaching staff of the Royal Art Society Art School and is a tutor at the Bathurst Mitchell College School of Arts. Lesley is available for commissions, including portraits, and workshops.
AWARDS
2010 Lesley was awarded the open and works on paper prizes at the City of Ryde Art Awards.
2009 Robert Le Gay Brereton Drawing Prize, awarded through the Art Gallery of NSW.
2006, 2007 and 2008 – overall, landscape and drawing prizes in the North Sydney Art Prize.
EXHIBITIONS
Finalist – the Portia Geach Memorial Award
Finalist the Shirley Hannon Portrait Prize.
Finalist North Sydney Art Prize
Lesley O’Shea in the studio