Rona Lee

I began as a tapestry weaver in the 1970s, inspired by the work of artists such as Maureen Hodge, Fiona Mathieson and Maggie Riegler, all identifying as tapestry weavers but making powerful statements through the medium of yarns and textile-based techniques.

Although my early output as a painter was in watercolour, the need to create greater depth and texture led me to acrylics and the wide range of mediums available. The opportunities for experimentation are endless. Even now, decades after my career began, I never know what will transpire in the course of a working day.

I often work on a textured ground with subsequent layers of thinned paint poured onto the still-wet thicker paint. There is no preparatory sketching on the canvas. The image develops layer by layer, the success of which will determine what the next stage will be. It’s a laborious and sometimes frustrating process but, as any artist would agree, the rewards are considerable when (or if!) everything comes together.

As a consequence my output is limited in spite of working every day.

Although the coasts and islands of Scotland are a constant source of inspiration, my home is in rural Midlothian, within sight of the Moorfoots. Here I can see the seasonal changes day to day and this may explain why my landscapes move a little further away from the representational toward the abstract.

Regardless of the many changes and developments in my daily practice, my inspiration is and always will be nature.