Edinburgh Art Gallery Tours, Art Workshops, and Artwork
About Kirsteen
The artist
About Kirsteen
Local Artist Kirsteen Lyons (BA Hons) grew up in the art scene in Scotland - Educated in Design at Heriot-Watt university, Edinburgh, she has spent a lifetime helping others create art.
"I have been making art, teaching and tutoring art all my life. I have a degree in design from Heriot Watt University but even before that I have taught and made; art, drama, design, photography, sculpture, drawing, ceramics and more. I think art is very important to happiness, all of us need art in our lives, to have beauty around us and to reach for what is good in mankind. I love to encourage people to set aside the monsters in their heads that tell then they cannot do art and help them reach that happiness that comes from pure creation. I have run arts festivals, created blogs, taught workshops, created a craft fair, run businesses and taught in schools but all with one drive, to help more adults and children find more peace and joy through art." Kirsteen
"I love teaching others any skill I have learned. I have created a YouTube channel to share art and give help to anyone. It is a good way to see me create art and teach." Kirsteen
About the artist
Kirsteen Lyons-Benson BA (Hons) is a talented artist with a rich creative heritage. Born to two artists who met at the Glasgow School of Art in the 1960s, Kirsteen grew up in a truly unconventional environment. Her parents, following their marriage, fled the city for a remote Scottish island, where they lived on a beach in a tent with two kittens and a chest of drawers.
Surrounded by the world of art from an early age, Kirsteen was influenced by notable Scottish artists, including her father's close friend, the celebrated Alastair Gray. These early experiences sparked her passion for creativity and shaped her artistic journey.
Kirsteen’s formal education in textile design was the next step in her development. Excelling at university, she won prestigious competitions and had her work featured in the Lighthouse Design Centre, Scotland's most esteemed design gallery. Straight out of university, she secured a position with a wallpaper manufacturer in new product development, which led to various roles in innovation companies. However, after exploring what she describes as "middle-class ideas"—such as paying a mortgage and working in PR—she quickly realised, as her parents had always said, that these pursuits were highly overrated.
Kirsteen's entrepreneurial spirit led her to explore a wide range of creative ventures. She experimented with selling paintings online, running London markets, organising and managing craft fairs, launching a gallery and pottery, and even starting a face painting business. Eventually, she returned to her roots in textile design, working as a freelance artist from home while raising her daughter and son.
Throughout her varied career, Kirsteen has continued to teach art and exhibit her own work. For two years, she embarked on a daily drawing project, creating one piece of art every day—not for recognition, but for the joy and relief it brought her as a parent. This personal project inspired many others, as people wrote to her, sharing how her work encouraged them to explore their own creativity.
Kirsteen has fully embraced her artistic upbringing and finds herself enjoying Edinburgh’s multicultural, creative lifestyle much better than the suburbia she fitted like a "Bengal tiger on a water slide.”
Her adventurous spirit has taken her across Spain and Portugal over two winters, where she traveled in a series of beat-up camper vans with her children, documenting her experiences through blogging. These underfunded, ill-planned adventures have enriched her life, broadened her perspective, and taught her that the world is filled with both light and dark moments. Through her art, Kirsteen captures and shares the hope and beauty she has discovered, creating work that speaks to the resilience and optimism we all need.
Kirsteen Lyons-Benson’s work is a reflection of her journey—one that embraces both the chaos and the beauty of life, and invites others to see the world through a hopeful, creative lens.
About the Tour
Tour opens in Edinburgh inclusive, green and giving back to the community.
Now visitors and locals alike can now tour Edinburgh galleries with a real artist, and make art at the galleries.
Local artist Kirsteen Lyons-Benson (Bachelor of Arts with Honours) will tour visitors through inspiring Scottish art and then teach them how to create your own art to treasure as a memory of the experience. The tour will be small groups and lots of help will be available so any level of ability including complete beginners can enjoy the experience.
Kirsteen grew up in Scotland’s art scene, her parents met at Glasgow School of Art and were friends and contemporaries with such famous names as Alastair Grey - who read Lanark to her father while he was writing it (and burned any pages her father did not enjoy). Kirsteen later interviewed Alastair Grey about his paintings and drawings long before the solo show at the National Galleries of Scotland brought these works to their rightful acclaim. This rich history was followed by attaining her design degree at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University. Kirsteen is now keen to share her passion for Scottish art and help a diverse range of learning styles and visitors experience Scotlands rich culture.
Kirsteen is a working artist herself and has regular exhibitions throughout the UK, including the iconic Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture.
The tour will be a green as possible with visitors making short walks to the various locations through stunning Edinburgh landmarks and the artist even gets the bus to the city! Kirsteen is also passionate about Human Rights and wants the tour to fund a series of Human Rights education events in Edinburgh this coming summer.
What the public say about the tour and workshop:
“I booked my family on this workshop and we had such a lovely time! My 11 year old and my husband are talented but I’m not and I haven’t sketched since high school some 30 years ago. Kirsteen managed to nurture confidence and inspire all of us. We were delighted with our sketches and my daughter immediately started practising what Kirsteen had taught her when we got home!” JG (Google business review)
“Kirsteen is an amazing art guide and tutor and completely returned my motivation for doing art.”NC (Google business review)
Kirsteen's Exhibition History
1999 & 2000
Group Exhibitions of Oil Paintings, East Grinstead Art Centre.
Showcased at a vibrant community arts venue supporting local and emerging talent.
2002
Exhibition at The Lighthouse Design Centre, Glasgow.
Hosted at Scotland’s premier design gallery, celebrated for promoting innovative architecture, design, and creative arts.
2002
Degree Show Exhibition, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
This marked the culmination of her Bachelor of Arts with Honours, a degree she completed with winning two prestigious competitions. Kirsteen absolutely loved being immersed in the university environment, surrounded by other talented artists and designers. Thriving in this creative world, she described her time there as incredibly fulfilling and was delighted to spend an additional year with her friends and the very best of her class.
Part of the prestigious annual showcase by graduates of this esteemed university.
2002
New Designers Exhibition, Islington Exhibition Centre, London.
Featured at the renowned Business Design Centre, a hub for contemporary and emerging designers from across the UK.
2002
Now Gallery of Contemporary Art, Birmingham.
Exhibited in one of Birmingham's key venues for cutting-edge contemporary art.
2005
Solo Show at Wealden House, East Grinstead, Sussex.
A solo exhibition in a charming and historic Sussex venue.
2006–2009 (multiple exhibitions)
Bagsythat series, showcasing innovative work in various notable locations:
Christmas Open Studio Show, Sussex (2006).
Solo Show at Birmingham City Theatre (2007).
Group Show at Forest Row, Sussex (2007).
Christmas Art Exhibition at Tilgate Park, Crawley (2008).
Private Gallery in Tilgate Park, Crawley (2007–2009).
Crawley Community Venue, Sussex (2009).
These exhibitions highlighted both solo and collaborative works in diverse, community-centered spaces.
2008
Commissioned to design the Eye for the Tilgate Monster, a public sculpture at Tilgate Park.
The sculpture remains a prominent feature at this popular park, showcasing her public art capabilities.
2009
Participation in the St. Hill International Arts Festival, Sussex.
Contributed to an international arts event known for its diverse cultural representation.
2021
Represented by The Birmingham Contemporary Art Gallery.
A prominent gallery recognised for representing acclaimed artists, including sculptor Willard Wigan.
2021–Present
Online representation through Art Dreams Gallery and other online platforms.
Expanding reach through dynamic online galleries catering to a global audience.
Competitions and Awards
2001
First Prize Winner – Industrial Competition by Morton Yong & Borland.
Recognised as the top designer in a highly competitive industrial design contest for Madras lace. Kirsteen’s innovative approach, meticulous craftsmanship, and attention to detail set her apart from other participants, earning her the highest honours. The judges commended her for bringing a fresh perspective to traditional lace design, highlighting her ability to blend artistic vision with practical application.
2001
Joint First Prize Winner – Industrial Competition by Muraspec.
Awarded for excellence in textile wall coverings design, Kirsteen’s work stood out for its relevance and adaptability to contemporary interior design needs. Her designs demonstrated not only aesthetic appeal but also a profound understanding of functional design principles.
The competition judges praised her high standards of work, remarking:
“There are people out there making good livings with far inferior products.”
This comment underlines the extraordinary quality and potential of her designs, reflecting her natural flair for combining creativity with commercial viability.
For more Information
YouTube: @kirsteenartwork