Whyn Lewis was born in Edinburgh in 1973 and is perhaps best known for her unique and almost obsessive paintings of whippets. She graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1995 and has since had seven solo shows in the UK. She has won several awards including five from the Royal Scottish Academy and currently shows her work with Portal Painters in London.
As well as by subject, Whyn’s paintings tend to be recognisable by the strong and highly detailed forms of animals drawn against plain, layered background colours. She uses the shapes and symbolism of the animals as narrative, sometimes introducing clues in the form of small jewel-like objects hanging from the subjects’ collars. Whyn’s work has been shown in Scotland, England and the USA.
Wards and Scholarships:
1994 Maude Gemmel Hutcheson Prize at the Royal Scottish Academy
1995 John Kinross Scholarship to Florence.
1996 Noble Gossart Painting Prize
1997 Maude Gemmel Hutcheson Prize, R.S.A
1998 Meyer Oppenheim Prize, R.S.A
2001 The Anna Miller Trust Scholarship.
2003 Maude Gemmel Hutcheson Prize, R.S.A
Other Shows:
2009 march- october “INSPIRED” – celebration of Robert Burns as part of Homecoming Scotland at the Michell Library, Glasgow
March 2010
Portal Painters Inaugural Exhibition at the Arts club, 40 Dover St, London.
October 2010
Scottish Portal Painters, at the arts club, 40 Dover st, London.
Portal Painters, London : 4 Scottish Artists
Whyn shows her paintings with Portal Painters and with them participates in regular art fairs in London.
Whyn’s Paintings have been used for the covers of three Albums, the first being in 2004 for a Piano Magic Ep – “saint marie”, and then in 2005 when her Mother – Vashti Bunyan released her first album in 35 years called “lookaftering”.
Released on the 6th of October 2014 is Vashti’s beautiful new album “Heartleap” which features the painting “Hart’s Leap”.
