Lewis Mackenzie

Lewis MacKenzie (b. 1981) is a contemporary impressionist painter based near Glasgow in Scotland. His work features in numerous private collections and has appeared in exhibitions by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, The Royal Glasgow Institute and the Paisley Art Institute, as well as in several private art galleries in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.

Lewis appeared on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in 2023, and been shortlisted for the Inaugural Scottish Landscape Awards (2023, 2025), and was awarded the Murray and McGregor Prize at the Scottish Prize for Fine Art (2023). An art school drop-out, Lewis trained as a biologist and worked for several years in a cancer lab before rekindling his life-long love of drawing and painting in the early 2010s. He draws influences from the masters of past eras, such as Velázquez, Vermeer, Guthrie, Sargent, and the Boston School Impressionists. His interests range from portraiture to still life and landscape.

Statement for ‘Three Part Harmony’

‘When I was invited to exhibit alongside two of my favourite contemporary Scottish painters, I accepted with enthusiasm— albeit with a measure of trepidation. . Comparison, as all know, is the thief of joy; yet as an artist, it’s difficult not to measure one’s work against the standards of one’s peers. This body of work represents a broad cross-section of my interests in landscape and still life, and I hope it holds its own within such esteemed company.

The paintings include views of North Yorkshire, the Solway Coast and North Berwick, alongside studio still lifes and floral compositions. My process combines direct observation with photographic reference, punctuated by imaginative embellishments and omissions. My aim is to draw out the musical and poetic aspects of the visual impression—to offer viewers a glimpse of what it feels like to see through my eyes.

The title of this exhibition – “Three-part Harmony” – resonates with me on several levels. As an impressionist painter, I’m drawn to the unifying power of light: its ability to weave together disparate elements of a scene into a delicate harmony, and to elevate the everyday into something beautiful or sublime. More deeply, the title speaks to the enduring relevance of observational painting – an art form sometimes viewed as outmoded or anachronistic, yet one that continues to offer vital ways of seeing and understanding the world: While “harmony” might suggest sameness or conformity, it more correctly is defined as “unity in difference.” The three artists in this exhibition share a commitment to working from nature, but the similarities in our approach only serve to lend greater significance to our differences. Within the shared reference frame of artist and viewer, our individual sensibilities are revealed not as conflicting forces, but as complementary threads in the broader tapestry of human experience—underscoring and enriching what we hold in common.’