• Lesley Oldaker creates contemporary paintings that capture the transient nature of urban life. Working primarily in oils, she transforms crowded...
    Available
    Lesley Oldaker creates contemporary paintings that capture the transient nature of urban life. Working primarily in oils, she transforms crowded cityscapes into atmospheric explorations of human connection and isolation. Each piece invites contemplation, blurring the boundaries between figurative representation and expressive abstraction to reveal the emotional undercurrents of modern existence.
     

    What draws us to Lesley's work is its quiet intensity. Her background in medical science (she spent years as a biomedical scientist before pivoting to art) informs a precise, observational approach to human behaviour. Yet her paintings possess an emotional depth that transcends analytical observation. These are works that honour the tradition of urban realism whilst embracing expressive techniques: layered brushwork, blurred silhouettes, unconventional materials like bitumen and rust. This emphasis on capturing fleeting moments of human interaction sits at the heart of Lesley's artistic practice, prompting viewers to recognise themselves in the anonymous crowds, to feel the weight of collective experience made visible through paint.

    • Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      £ 1,295.00
    • Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      £ 2,150.00
    • Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      £ 2,150.00

  • What Makes Lesley Oldaker's Work Unique

    Lesley's practice is defined by her fascination with "the way people interact with each other and their movements and purpose in life." Working primarily in oil on canvas, she employs a limited colour palette and expressive, layered brushwork to create atmospheric urban scenes. Her process begins with drawing, photography, and on-site observation in large public spaces; from these studies she abstracts the "essence of emotion, form, shape, space and colour" for her canvases.

     

    The technique of Lesley's work reveals sophisticated painterly intelligence. She favours oil paints for their fluidity and longer drying time, which allow her to manipulate paint and "mimic the constant movement of crowds" through blending and blurring. Her figures often appear as ghostly silhouettes moving through abstracted cityscapes, this effect achieved through layered semi-transparent washes and careful smudging that obscures details whilst suggesting motion. Critics have described her style as residing on "the verge of expressionism," since she distorts and abstracts realistic scenes to capture emotional impression rather than photographic likeness.

     

    Lesley's commitment to material exploration distinguishes her work further. Whilst oils are her mainstay, she has incorporated unconventional materials like bitumen, rust, and metallic paints to achieve textural effects. Her "Wading Through" series (2025), for example, employs oil, rust, copper paints and bitumen on canvas, giving the surfaces a weathered patina that reinforces themes of urban decay and transformation. This willingness to experiment with mixed media, combined with her consistent focus on the human figure within urban space, defines Lesley's distinctive approach to contemporary figurative painting.

  • "Lesley's paintings ask us to reconsider our relationship with crowds, with cities, with the experience of being simultaneously alone and surrounded. Her work rewards close observation and invites collectors to appreciate the subtle complexities of human presence that emerge when figurative elements dissolve into expressive gesture."
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  • Spotlighting Lesley Oldaker at Graystone Gallery

    • We seek artists whose work demonstrates both technical excellence and conceptual depth, and Lesley exemplifies this balance. Her paintings occupy a distinctive space within contemporary figurative art: they're grounded in observational drawing and traditional oil painting techniques yet speak to profoundly modern experiences of displacement, connection, and urban anonymity.

       

      Lesley's approach to subject matter resonates deeply with our curatorial philosophy. Her personal experience of isolation upon moving to Switzerland became the impetus for "Passing Through," one of her most recognised works exploring the feeling of being alone in a crowd. This autobiographical honesty, transformed through painterly abstraction, creates work that feels both intimate and universal. Her paintings don't demand attention through scale or dramatic colour; instead, they invite sustained engagement and reward patient viewing with emotional recognition.

    • Since transitioning from science to art in the 2010s, Lesley has exhibited extensively, from her 2012 residency at Da Wang Culture Highland in Shenzhen to recent shows in New York, London, and across Europe, building a reputation for work that captures the psychological complexity of contemporary urban life. Her painting "Non-Conformist" was selected as cover art for Oxford University Press's book Civic Solitude in 2024, whilst another work appeared as a stage set for the Off-Broadway play "Perry Street" at MCC Theater in New York, demonstrating the broad cultural resonance of her imagery.

  • Available to buy

    • Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, A Safe Place
      £ 2,150.00
    • Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, Talking Point
      £ 2,150.00
    • Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      Available
      Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
      £ 1,295.00
  • Lesley's works suit collectors who appreciate the intersection of figurative tradition and contemporary urban experience. These are paintings designed for...
     

    Lesley's works suit collectors who appreciate the intersection of figurative tradition and contemporary urban experience. These are paintings designed for contemplative spaces: a living room where one can pause before the day, a study where quiet reflection happens, a hallway that frames daily transitions. The muted palettes and atmospheric quality create powerful emotional anchors in contemporary interiors, inviting repeated viewing that reveals new details with each encounter.

  • Lesley Oldaker, Catharis (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Lesley Oldaker, Catharis (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Lesley Oldaker, Catharis (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Lesley Oldaker, Catharis
  • With typical prices for mid-sized oil paintings ranging from approximately £1,200 to £3,000, Lesley's work offers an accessible entry point...

    With typical prices for mid-sized oil paintings ranging from approximately £1,200 to £3,000, Lesley's work offers an accessible entry point to collecting museum-quality contemporary figurative painting. Her larger canvases demonstrate the full scope of her expressive technique (sweeping brushwork, complex layering, sophisticated colour relationships) whilst smaller works on paper provide intimate studies of crowd dynamics and human gesture.

     

    Each painting captures a specific moment of urban observation, yet speaks to universal experiences of modern life. The blurred figures, the atmospheric light, the sense of movement frozen in paint, these elements combine to create works that feel both documentary and dreamlike. For collectors interested in discovering more about Lesley's practice or arranging a viewing, we welcome you to visit the gallery or contact us directly for personal guidance on selecting pieces that suit your space and collecting interests.