Brenda Lenaghan RSW was born in Galashiels in 1941.  She went onto study at Glasgow School of Art between 1958-63, and was awarded a Diploma in Commercial & Graphic Design.

Brenda continued on her graphic design path after leaving Art School, and joined Bernat Klein in Galashiels, who were manufacturers of Tweeds for many of the great designers of that period, including Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and many others.  This job was followed by teaching posts in various Glasgow schools.

In was in 1970 that Brenda moved to East Lothian and started to paint, exhibiting with the Scottish Society of Women Artists RA, RSA, RGI and RSW.

From this point onwards, Brenda has been presented with a number of awards, including SSWA's Anne Redpath Award in 1975 & 1983, and the Special Award in 1980.  Brenda also won the RSA's Maud Gemmell Hutchison Award in 1996.

"Ideas are always inspired by something I've seen, mainly from my travels.  These have taken me to India, Tibet, China, most of Europe and Russia.

Now that our son lives and works in Japan as a landscape architect, we visit there every year, where the art of Japan has had a profound effect on my recent work."

In 1984 Brenda was elected a RSW.  Since then she has had a 'one-man' show every year, and has exhibited regularly in mixed shows.

Galleries include Macaulay Gallery, Stenton; Cyril Gerber Gallery, Glasgow; William Hardie, Glasgow; Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh; Edinburgh Gallery; Rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen; Duncan Campbell Gallery, London;  Thompsons Gallery, London;  Christopher Hull Gallery, London; Richard Hagen Gallery, Broadway; The Vicarage Cottage Gallery, North Shields; The Green Gallery, Buchlyvie;  Gullane Art Gallery, East Lothian.

To see more examples of Brenda's work go to her gallery