Black, grey, white, hints of blue and green – the artworks of Lesley Oldaker – a British painter currently living in Zurich, Switzerland – are executed around a limited palette of colours. The content remains the same throughout – shadowy figures making their way through the city, often with their heads bowed down, feeling lonely within the crowd. The scenes are at once depressing and intriguing. They suggest an apocalyptic future wherein ice caps have melted and invaded urban areas. The constant chill has sucked out all vividness and vitality from the land, and men and women, disturbingly, can no longer be fully human. They are lazy and listless, without individuality and direction.

Lesley says: “My work explores the complex relationships, transient nature, and purpose of randomly moving figurative groupings and their interactions within the space around them. I examine and incorporate current human conditions surrounding us in today’s society. The visual narrative communicates a sense of displacement, expresses a question of belonging within our shared urban environments.”

Lesley obtained a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design from Bath City College/University of the Arts London, UK in 2011. In 2012, she started a part-time BA in Fine Art Painting at the University of the Creative Arts, UK. She has also studied under the artists Jackie Harding (UK) and Alex Zwalen (Switzerland). Her works have been exhibited in the UK, the USA, Switzerland, Slovakia, Italy, India and China and is part of several private collections.

Links: Website (www.lesleyoldakerfineart.com) | Saatchi Art (www.saatchiart.com/oldaker) | Facebook (www.facebook.com/lesleyoldakerart) | Fine Art America (fineartamerica.com/profiles/lesley-oldaker.html) | Twitter (@lesleyoldaker) | Tumblr (www.oldaker-art.tumblr.com)

 Images used with permission.