Leo McDowell was brought up and educated in the North of England. His early paintings were of moorland scenes around Ilkley in Yorkshire. After studying Modern Languages at the universities of Manchester and Cambridge and History of Art at Innsbruck University he spent eight years teaching in the Middle East and participated in archaeological studies and excavations in North Africa, Turkey, Cyprus and Jordan. He painted extensively during this period and his painting showed a clear influence of Islamic and Byzantine art.

Leo's recent works include interiors, figurative and still-life paintings. His style is between abstraction and figurative representation and uses a variety of media. A number of motifs occur such as a horse and rider, a cat or a vase of flowers, and it is Leo's arrangement, treatment and colour choices which give each work its unique feel.

Leo has been a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours since 1985. He was awarded the Windsor and Newton RI prize in 1990, and his work can be found in H.R.H The Prince of Wales' collection of British Contemporary Paintings. His work is in great demand throughout the world with sell-out exhibitions in Paris and Tokyo. A selection of Leo's recent limited edition prints can always be found at Shell House Gallery.