Lesley Banks facts for kids

Lesley Banks (born in 1962) is a talented British artist. She lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland.

About Lesley Banks: Her Art Journey

Lesley Banks was born in Oxford, England. She loved art and studied at the famous Glasgow School of Art from 1980 to 1984. After finishing her studies, she received a special scholarship. This allowed her to travel and study art in Europe for two years. She spent several months living and learning in Amsterdam.

When she came back to Britain, Lesley worked at an art gallery in Glasgow. In 1989, she decided to focus completely on her own art. Her paintings are very unique. They mix real-life scenes with dream-like or "surreal" elements. This means her art can show things that are both familiar and a little bit magical.

Special Art Projects and Exhibitions

Lesley Banks has been involved in many exciting art projects. In 1999, she was the artist-in-residence at Edinburgh Zoo. This means she spent time at the zoo creating art inspired by the animals and their environment.

Her work has been shown in many art exhibitions across Scotland. She has had both solo shows (where only her art is displayed) and group shows (where her art is shown with others). Lesley has even won awards for her paintings in some of these group exhibitions.

You can find examples of her beautiful paintings in public collections. Both the Aberdeen Art Gallery and the Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie own some of her artworks.

Painting Scotland's Canals

One of Lesley's most notable projects began in 2016. She became Scotland's very first artist-in-residence for the nation's canals. For 15 months, she explored and painted these historic waterways.

This special project resulted in a fantastic exhibition called "Gongoozler." It featured over 40 paintings. These artworks celebrated the beauty and importance of Scotland's canals and rivers.