An Artist in her Landscape

Can there be a more idyllic image than that of an artist painting in the landscape? Lesley Seeger is a plein air artist, whose vivid and eye-catching works of art are observed in the field and completed in the studio.

The practice of plein air, meaning in the open air, painting goes back centuries but was made an art form by the French impressionists, who wanted to capture the ephemeral qualities of light on the surrounding landscape.

Although Lesley's vibrant paintings are very much her interpretation of what she sees, they are also about how what she sees makes her feel. Ultimately, her work becomes, in her own words, "a hybrid of the observed and imagined, the seen and the felt".

These images of Lesley at work with her portable collection of paintbrushes, paints and novel mode of transport - a jolly green wheelbarrow - were captured on a sunny March afternoon in the North Yorkshire countryside near her home.

Lesley’s dog often joins her on her plein air adventures. What better name for an artist's dog than Pablo?