Lee-Ann Rodwell, Painter of Imagined Portraits and Old-World Beauty

Welcome. My work is rooted in storytelling - quiet, timeless, and deeply textured. I paint imagined portraits, atmospheric abstractions, and floral works that sit somewhere between memory and dream.

Drawn to the faded elegance of old textiles, historical dress, and the intimacy of characterful faces, I create pieces that invite contemplation rather than explanation. Whether layered in oils or built with palette knife, each painting is a conversation between what is seen and what is felt.

I am especially interested in figures who feel suspended in time - neither from here nor there - and in landscapes or florals that seem to carry their own hidden histories and faded opulence and neglect. My practice blends romanticism with restraint, theatre with silence, detail with decay.

My oil and pastel paintings are held in private collections around the world - from Mallorca to Moscow, New York to London. Each painting is a one-of-a-kind collector’s piece - created slowly and lovingly, with intention, and rooted in beauty and old master craft. This is a world of timeless art made for those who value rarity and resonance. 

I invite you to explore the collections and to step into a world where beauty lingers just beneath the surface and sometimes beyond the veil. 

“Walked in and could feel the stories of these characters come alive. Amazing attention to detail and loved hearing how you paint from a prompt or conviction” 

Address

Paintings and Lee-Ann’s studio can be seen in Lee-Ann’s beautiful 100 year old home overlooking the sea in St James near Kalk Bay in Cape Town. Viewing is by appointment on +27 71 580 8595. 

Past Videos

The Rodwell Gallery at Taj Hotel in Cape Town on Instagram - Nov 2024 - March 2025

The Rodwell Gallery - First Franschhoek gallery on Instagram - Dec 2022 - May 2024

Lee-Ann’s former studio in Constantia  on Instagram