About

I’m an artist and actor based in North London.

Before having children, I worked as a theatre actor which involved a lot of travel. When I became a mum I stopped touring so much, and missed the world of creativity.

One day my mum presented me with a box of cheap oil pastels which I assume she intended for the kids. I quietly unwrapped them while my youngest was playing with a watering can. I had no paper to hand, so grabbed a scrap of corrugated cardboard from the recycling bin and sat down and drew him. I hadn’t done any drawing since I was at school, but loved it, the quick choices of colour and line to capture his movement. My fine art journey had begun.

I soon took up classes at the Art Stables, Finchley and Hampstead School of Art. I experimented with a wide range of other techniques including left handed drawing, which led to winning the Life Drawing Prize at Hampstead School Of Art. I found my way into a few exhibitions at the Arts Depot, London and before I knew it was holding my first solo show at Lauderdale House, Highgate.

Since then I have continued to work on both portraiture and landscape painting and tried my hand at scultpure and printing in preparation for my current project A Woman’s Place.

Have a look at my Artwork Sale with a range of landscapes and other work for sale. I also offer prints of selected work.

I take commissions for landscapes and portraits. Please go to my Portrait page, and get in contact with any questions.

You can find out what I’ve been up to recently in News.

Lesley Cook Headshots

Lesley Cook Headshots