Profile on Lesley Riddihough
At 19 years of age she went to Paris and started modelling, working as a house model at Lanvin. There she married an American film maker and had a daughter. The family spent the summers in Formentera and Lesley always wanted to live there until, in 1969, she left her husband and settled on the island. Her training in dress design turned out to be the ideal way to make money with a clothing business to allow her to stay in Formentera. In 1981 Lesley moved to Ibiza so that her, by now, two daughters could continue their education at the English School. They eventually left home and, the same year, Lesley’s father died. She looked for something creative to do and bought a canvas and some oil paints. Within 6 months she was already selling some paintings and found that after a few years could live on the proceeds. Lesley says that she is lucky, people wanted to buy the works that she so much enjoyed painting.
For a number of years Lesley did landscapes and seascapes. She still does, occasionally, but her favourite subjects are close ups of fruit and pottery. She says, ‘The light and shapes and colours are a real challenge and I like to feel there are different moods in each painting.’
In 2005 Lesley moved to Gaucin. She considers that Andalucia still retains the feel of Spain that Ibiza is rapidly losing pointing out ‘The countryside is so beautiful and there are so many friendly people of all nationalities.’ Lesley has just been accepted as a member of Art Gaucin and will be exhibiting at their Open Studios during the first two weekends in June.
Lesley is currently exhibiting her work at PuraVida and Restaurant Katerina in Gaucin.