Art from the Heart
Profile:
Born in Rochdale in 1963, Les Trewin attended Falmouth School of Art in the early eighties where he graduated in 1985. At this juncture he went on to train as an art therapist using creativity to help people articulate their inner turmoil with the aim of achieving greater insight and equilibrium in their life. This led to a long career working in mental health and learning disability services across the NHS.
Throughout his working career Les continued to create his own work whenever he had the time until his retirement from the NHS in 2019. In 2020 he moved to Cornwall, back to the place he undertook his original training as an artist to dedicate his time in the pursuit of his lifelong passion.
Testimonials
St Peter’s Church, Bengeworth
When I first saw some of Les Trewin’s art work, I loved how vibrant and colourful it was. I recently had the opportunity to ask Les to produce a picture where my husband and I got married. How often do you get something very special, painted just for you. Les didn’t disappoint, his painting captures the church beautifully with a glorious amount of vibrancy I was hoping for. I love the way he paints skies and captures the dappled shade in the church garden. It now looks stunning hung in our home and we are delighted with it.
Lisa Hunn 2021
Bourton on the Hill 3
What initially draws me to Les’ paintings is the vibrancy of colour and detail. Les paints spectacular landscape views and skylines which draw you in. I love paintings where you can lose yourself in the detail and which tell a story. This prompted me to recently purchase a street scene of a village in the Cotswolds. The colours and what Les captured in the architectural detail of the houses, chimneys and lampposts, with a road winding into the distance really appealed to me. It hangs in our dining room at home and never ceases to be a talking point with friends.
Belinda Lewis 2020
Oriental Bridge at Croome Court
My late husband and I had spent ages looking for a landscape/townscape picture of a place in or near the Cotswolds which meant something to us, but we had found nothing that wasn’t too twee or traditional watercolour.
Within a month of Jonny passing away I came upon Les’ work in the Dove Gallery in Winchcombe and I bought it immediately. His painting of the Chinese Bridge at Croome Court in Worcestershire struck me the moment I saw it – I knew it was what Jonny and I had searched for. It has a bold colour palette, almost Fauvist, almost early/mid 20th Century style. A clearly figurative landscape image, the brush-work is bold and with abstract elements, certainly post-impressionist – or at least to my eye and knowledge. It’s now on the lounge wall in the cottage!
Les kindly agreed to undertake a portrait of my late husband based on a picture I had taken of Jonny standing by the very bridge in the painting. Les prepared sketches, we talked about the colour palette and the arrangement of the features of the painting. We had an initial viewing, which was wonderful but very moving too. After a little while just looking at it, we then agreed some final aspects of the picture and Les completed the portrait. I now have a wonderful portrait of my late husband which I see every day – in a location which we visited many times together and in style of painting I know Jonny would have loved too.
Les’ training as a skilled artist and printmaker with a distinct idea of colour clearly shows in his work. I love his work and cannot thank him enough for his skill as an artist and for the sensitive way he worked with me. I’ll be at his upcoming exhibition in Winchcombe.
James Lamb 2022
Would you like to discuss a Commission?
If the style of my art interests you, then I invite you to email me to explore any potential commissions you would like to explore