Jonathan Myles-Lea (23 January 1969 – 25 August 2021) 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 Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

; and the National Trust of Great Britain.

Life and career

Myles-Lea was born in Southport 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 Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'', published ...

. 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 Hutton Grammar School is a voluntary aided Church of England day school for boys, with a co-educational Sixth Form. It is located south west of Preston, Lancashire, in Hutton, England. It provides education for boys from the age of 11 to 16, an ...

and won an arts scholarship to attend

Malvern College Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...

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 The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

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 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

TV. He also produced and directed an adaptation of Brian Friel's play ''The Faith Healer''. He became a member of

The Colony Room The Colony Room Club was a private members' drinking club at 41 Dean Street, Soho, London. It was founded and presided over by Muriel Belcher from its inception in 1948 until her death in 1979. The artist Francis Bacon was a founder and lifelo ...

, where he was introduced to the renowned Anglo-Irish painter

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

, who encouraged him to undertake a professional career in painting. 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. These were, Bettisfield Park, in

Hanmer, Wales Hanmer is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. At the 2001 Census the population of the Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green, Halghton and Arowry along with a number of small hamle ...

, a classical house built in 1760, and

Plas Teg Plas Teg is a Grade I listed Jacobean house in Wales. It is near the village of Pontblyddyn, Flintshire between Wrexham and Mold. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of Jacobean architecture in Wales, and the finest in North Wales ...

a Jacobean mansion in Wales. At Bettisfield, he re-created the original gardens and replanted the parkland using surviving plans from the 18th century. He made his first landscape painting, ''Plas Teg, Clwyd'' (1992). In 1995, Myles-Lea was commissioned to paint image of 'The Laskett', a large formal garden created by Sir

Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...

. Shortly afterwards Myles-Lea was commissioned by Gervase Jackson-Stops OBE, a senior advisor to

The National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

to produce a plan of ''

Stowe Landscape Gardens Stowe or Stowe Gardens, formerly Stowe Landscape Gardens, are extensive, Listed building, Grade I listed gardens and parkland in Buckinghamshire, England. Largely created in the eighteenth century the gardens at Stowe are arguably the most signi ...

'' (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 Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern H ...

, Taplow, Buckinghamshire. In 1996, John Harris, writing for Sotheby's, said: : Felix Kelly owes much to

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

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). In 1997 Myles-Lea was included in the feature, "Living National Treasures" by '' Country Life'' magazine. 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 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." In July 2009, author and journalist

Jonathan Self Jonathan Otter Self (born 11 March 1959 in Hammersmith, London) is an English author and journalist. Early life Self was raised in Hampstead, London. His father was the British journalist and academic Peter Self. His mother, Elaine (born Rosen ...

described Myles-Lea as 'The successor to Stubbs and

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

. In September 2009,

Grosvenor Estates Grosvenor may refer to: People * Grosvenor (surname) * Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster * Grosvenor Francis (1873–1944), Australian politician * Grosvenor Hodgkinson (1818–1881), English lawyer and politician Places, buildings and ...

asked Myles-Lea to provide artworks in collaboration with Linley to furnish a recently renovated townhouse in

Lower Belgrave Street Lower Belgrave Street is a street in London's Belgravia district. It runs north-west to south-east and begins as a continuation of Upper Belgrave Street where it meets Eaton Square. It crosses one through-street, Ebury Street, and ends in a t-j ...

. 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). His work has been exhibited at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

and

The British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

in London. His pictures have been featured in ''The Artist and the Country House'' by John Harris, ''The Artist and the Garden'' by Sir

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. 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''.

Studios

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 Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, Order of Merit, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract art, abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscape and still-life. Background and training Nicholson was ...

and

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadi ...

. Relocating from Hampstead in the latter part of 2006, Myles-Lea took an apartment in Wyndham Place,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, 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. Myles-Lea moved to

Royal Crescent The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping Crescent (architecture), crescent in the city of Bath, Somerset, Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood, the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is a ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 2020, where he continued to work despite a terminal cancer diagnosis. He spent some time at Dorothy House

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

before returning to his home in Bath where he died on 25 August 2021."MYLES-LEA - Deaths - Telegraph Announcements"
"Jonathan. On 25th August 2021 at 12 Royal Crescent, Bath, aged 52 years. Son of Elaine and John Lea of Southport". ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' (4 September 2021). Retrieved 5 September 2021.

Exhibitions

The following exhibitions have featured work by Jonathan Myles-Lea *''The Artist and the Country House - from the Fifteenth Century to the Present Day'' Sotheby's, London (1996) . *''Painting the West Country House and Garden'' The Holburne Museum, Bath (2006). *''The Artist in the Garden'' The British Library, London (2007).

Works

''Selected paintings'' *''The Laskett'' (1995) (commissioned by Sir Roy Strong) *''Burghley House'' (1996) (commissioned by Simon and

Lady Victoria Leatham Lady Victoria Diana Leatham MBE (; born 28 June 1947) is an antiques expert and television personality. She was the chatelaine of Burghley House from 1982 to 2007. Career Leatham began working for Sotheby's in Bond Street, concentrating on the Eas ...

) *''Cliveden'' (1996) (A series of garden drawings commissioned by The National Trust (of Great Britain)) *''Througham Court'' (1997) (commissioned by Dr Christine Facer) *''Hanbury Hall'' (1997) (commissioned by The National Trust (of Great Britain)) *''Gresgarth Hall'' (1998) (commissioned by Sir Mark and Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd) *''Maybanks Manor'' (2001) (commissioned by Mr & Mrs Beckwith-Smith) *''Wartnaby House'' (2001) (commissioned by Lord and Lady King) *''Ein Englischer Garten in Koln'' (2002) (commissioned by Udo & Kirsten Lammerting) *''The Manor House, Chipperfield'' (2005) (commissioned by

Rory Tapner Rory Tapner (born 30 September 1959) is a British businessman who, in September 2010 was appointed CEO of Coutts, the Wealth Management division of Royal Bank of Scotland Group. In February 2015 he stepped down as CEO; he was replaced in the ro ...

, Director

UBS Warburg UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...

) *''The Manor House, Upton Grey'' (2006) (commissioned by Rosamund Wallinger) *''Highgrove House and Gardens'' (2008) (commissioned by the Prince of Wales)Paintings 2006-2010: Highgrove
Myles-Lea.com *''Highgrove - The Sundial Garden'' (2008) (commissioned by Lady Isabel King) *''Maze with Folly Behind'' (2008) (Painted for Gensler ''Can Change'' Charity Auction for

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

) *''Waddeton Court'' (2009) (commissioned by Mr & Mrs

Andrew Brownsword Andrew Douglas Brownsword CBE DL (born 1947) is an English entrepreneur who established the Forever Friends company. He has regularly featured on the Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated fortune of £190 million. Biography Brownsword atte ...

) *''Domaine de Boyéres, Provence'' (commissioned by Viscount Linley for

Princess Salimah Aga Khan Princess Salimah Aga Khan (''née'' Sarah Frances Croker Poole; born 28 January 1940), also known as Begum Salimah Aga Khan, is a former fashion model and an ex-wife of the 49th Ismaili Shia Imam, the IV Aga Khan Prince Karim Aga Khan. Early l ...

)

References

External links