Jonathan Myles-Lea (23 January 1969[1] – 25 August 2021)[2] was an English painter of country houses, historic buildings, and landscapes, typically taking the form of aerial views. Clients have included Charles, Prince of Wales; and the National Trust of Great Britain.
Myles-Lea was born in Southport[3] in Lancashire in North West England. Much of his early life was spent in this region of the UK with walks and outdoor activities. He was introduced to the series of walking guides written and illustrated by Alfred Wainwright. The pen and ink drawings included with these guides were an early influence on Myles-Lea's emerging style.
He was educated first at Hutton Grammar School and won an arts scholarship to attend Malvern College in Worcestershire from the ages of 15 until 18; he won the painting prizes in 1985 and his senior year, 1986. In 1988 he traveled extensively in Europe making a modern Grand Tour study of art and architecture. He gained an Honours Degree in 'The History of Art & Architecture' from Westfield College, The University of London in 1991.
He worked for three years in arts broadcasting. He held positions as a press and PR officer for arts and entertainment programmes, and a continuity announcer at Channel 4 TV. He also produced and directed an adaptation of Brian Friel's play The Faith Healer. He became a member of The Colony Room, where he was introduced to the renowned Anglo-Irish painter Francis Bacon, who encouraged him to undertake a professional career in painting.[1]
In 1992, Myles-Lea left Channel 4 and went to assist a friend for a year in the restoration of two historic buildings in the British countryside.[4] These were, Bettisfield Park, in Hanmer, Wales, a classical house built in 1760, and Plas Teg a Jacobean mansion in Wales. At Bettisfield, he re-created the original gardens and replanted the parkland using surviving plans from the 18th century.[5] He made his first landscape painting, Plas Teg, Clwyd (1992).[6]
In 1995, Myles-Lea was commissioned to paint an image of The Laskett, a large formal garden created by Sir Roy Strong and Julia Trevelyan Oman.[7] Shortly afterwards Myles-Lea was commissioned by Gervase Jackson-Stops OBE, a senior advisor to The National Trust to produce a plan of Stowe Landscape Gardens (1995). Patronage by The National Trust continued in the mid-1990s with a commission to produce a series of pen and ink sketches of the house and garden features and a landscape plan of the gardens at Cliveden, Taplow, Buckinghamshire.[citation needed]
In 1996, John Harris, writing for Sotheby's, said:
Felix Kelly owes much to Rex Whistler and was the modern master of the country house capriccio... Today Kelly's natural follower seems to be Jonathan Myles-Lea who heightens the projection of his scene with certain mysterious overtones as we can see in Plas Teg, Clwyd (1992) or Trewane Manor, Cornwall (1993).[8]
In 1997 Myles-Lea was included in the feature, "Living National Treasures" by Country Life magazine.[9]
In 2009, Myles-Lea was commissioned to create an oil painting for the cover of Country Life magazine, Dream Acres was the first commissioned painting ever to be featured on the cover of Country Life[10] for the opening issue of their 12-week Dream Acres gardening feature. Country Life publishing director Jean Christie said "This is the first cover of this kind for Country Life in its 112-year history, and the first editorial double gatefold we have produced. This is another example of Country Life breaking with tradition to showcase a magnificent issue."[10][11]
Myles-Lea's main work is his paintings of historic buildings, country houses and their gardens and estates. These are portrayed in a traditional landscape view, and also from an aerial perspective. The landscape paintings are generally in the range of 42" x 30", executed using a miniaturist technique. He has painted portraits of Evelyn H. Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc, (2004), and Brian Avon, Director of Global Visual Merchandising, Aveda, (2004).[citation needed]
His pictures have been featured in The Artist and the Country House by John Harris, The Artist and the Garden by Sir Roy Strong and The Story of Gardening by Penelope Hobhouse.
A number of his abstract works have also appeared as the artwork on the covers of a series of novellas by the art historian and writer Stephen Little.[17]
He also appeared as a guest of the broadcaster Trevor Barnes in his BBC World Service radio programme about the spiritual significance of garden design A Place in Paradise: Spiritual Gardens.[18]
Myles-Lea lived and worked in Brussels during 2002. It was during this residency in the Belgian capital that he vigorously promoted his work to mainland European clients building on early successes from commissions such as Kasteel Wylre (commissioned by Marlies & Jo Eyck, 1999). Myles-Lea lived and worked in New York during 2003/4. It was during this period in New York that he continued to develop his painting of abstract pictures building on the influences he had experienced whilst living in Brussels. Myles-Lea occupied a studio in Belsize Park, Hampstead from 2004 to 2006. The house had previously been the wartime home of the artists Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. Relocating from Hampstead in the latter part of 2006, Myles-Lea took an apartment in Wyndham Place, Marylebone, which was his principal residence and studio until October 2011. Subsequently, his principal residence and studio was at The Folly, within the grounds of Sir Roy Strong's Laskett Garden at Much Birch in Herefordshire.[citation needed] Myles-Lea moved to Royal Crescent, Bath in 2020,[19] where he continued to work despite a terminal cancer diagnosis. He spent some time at Dorothy House hospice[20] before returning to his home in Bath where he died on 25 August 2021.[2]
^The Artist and the Country House - Sotheby's (1996)
^World of Interiors Painting the West Country House and Garden - A Review of The Holburne Museum's Exhibition World of Interiors. February 2006. pp 112-113.
Aslet, Clive (ed.) Living National Treasures – A Celebration of Craftsmanship through the Eyes of Country Life Magazine Pavilion Books Limited ISBN1-86205-032-5
Avery, Collin (1996) Artists & Country Houses at Sotheby's The Financial Times newspaper - January 1996 pp. 13–14.
Baker, Mark (2006) Plas Teg: A Jacobean Country House Brampton House Publishing ISBN0-9537440-4-3
Barnes, Trevor (1999) The New Draftsman's Contract The Daily Telegraph newspaper. 21 August 1999.
Barr, Anne (1995) Barometer Harpers & Queen magazine. June 1995, pp. 12.
Conforth, John (1998) The Country Houses of England Constable & Company ISBN0-09-479150-3
Dixon Hunt, John (2000) Greater Perfections - The Practice of Garden Theory Thames and Hudson ISBN0-500-28193-9
Edmonds, Richard (2000) Interview: Roy Strong - A growing concern; Richard Edmonds meets Roy Strong whose new book about gardens reflects his passion for nature The Birmingham Post. 14 October 2000.
Glendinning, Victoria (2000) Visions of Paradise Literary Review magazine - August 2000. pp. 25.
Guinness, Bunny (2005) Portrait of a Garden The Sunday Telegraph - December 2005, Property Section.
Hall, Michael (1996) Only a Picture of a House Country Life magazine - 11 January 1996. pp. 26.
Harris, John (1996) The Artist and the Country House, from the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day: Exhibition to Benefit the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture London: Sotheby's ISBN0-9622588-2-2
Harris, John (2006) A Peculiarly English Passion Country Life -February 2006. pp. 76–77.
Hobhouse, Penelope (2002) The Story of Gardening Dorling Kindersley ISBN0-7513-3390-5
Luke, Ariel (2009) Garden Painters: Contemporary Artists London: A & C Black Publishers Ltd ISBN0-7136-8206-X
Lyttelton, Celia (1995) Artist in Residence Tatler magazine. September 1995. pp. 159.
Kerr Forsyth, Holly (2007) Portrait of an Estate The Australian. 29 September 2007.
Kerr Forsyth, Holly (2010) The Gardeners Book of Days Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. ISBN978-0-522-85672-9
Noel, Celestria (1999) Going to the Chapel House & Garden magazine - October 1999. pp. 192–198.
Pavord, AnnaGresgarth Hall Gardens Illustrated magazine. April 1999. pp. 46.
Proudlove, Christopher (1996) Pictures from the Past bring Old Homes to Life Liverpool Daily Post newspaper. 6 January 1996.
Riley, Bronwen (1995) Patina of People Country Life magazine - 12 October 1995. pp. 61–61.
Self, Jonathan (2009) Interview - Jonathan Myles-Lea, Artist Country Life Magazine - 1 July 2007. pp. 52
Strong, Sir Roy (1997)The Roy Strong Diaries Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN0-297-81841-4
Strong, Sir Roy (2000) The Artist & the Garden Yale University Press ISBN0-300-08520-6
Strong, Sir Roy (2004) The Laskett - The Story of a Garden Transworld Publishers ISBN0-593-05070-3
Country Life magazine (1996) Living National Treasure - Country House Painter, (Editorial) Country Life magazine - 22 February 1996. pp. 47.
Country Life magazine (1997) The Painting of Hanbury Hall Country Life magazine - 17 July 1997. pp. 82.
Country Life magazine (2009) Dream Acres Country Life magazine - 29 April 2009. Front Cover and central double page spread.
World of Interiors Painting the West Country House and Garden - A Review of The Holburne Museum's Exhibition World of Interiors. February 2006. pp 112–113.
