Jonathan Myles-Lea (23 January 1969[1] – 25 August 2021)[2] was an English painter of country houses, historic buildings, and landscapes, typically taking the form of aerial views.
He became a member of The Colony Room, where he was introduced to the renowned Anglo-Irish painter Francis Bacon, who encouraged him to undertake a professional career in painting.
[6] In 1995, Myles-Lea was commissioned to paint an image of The Laskett, a large formal garden created by Sir Roy Strong and Julia Trevelyan Oman.
[7] Shortly afterwards Myles-Lea was commissioned by Gervase Jackson-Stops OBE, a senior advisor to The National Trust to produce a plan of Stowe Landscape Gardens (1995).
[citation needed] In 1996, John Harris, writing for Sotheby's, said: In 1997 Myles-Lea was included in the feature, "Living National Treasures" by Country Life magazine.
[12][13] In September 2009, Grosvenor Estates asked Myles-Lea to provide artworks in collaboration with Linley to furnish a recently renovated townhouse in Lower Belgrave Street.
[citation needed] Myles-Lea's main work is his paintings of historic buildings, country houses and their gardens and estates.
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.
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.