What inspires your practice ?
The sea and coastline, particularly of north Cornwall, is where I gather most inspiration as I have holidayed here every year of my life since childhood and now I’m lucky enough to spend the spring and summer months painting down here, based in my caravan at Treyarnon Bay. I particularly love watching the change of seasons out on the cliffs and I often include the wildflowers and coastal plants in my seascapes which vary according to the time of year.
What technique do you use and describe how you create each piece of art ?
I predominantly paint in acrylics – using both paint and inks and enjoy creating mixed media pieces too. I work from quick sketches made on expeditions along the coast and from photographs. I sometimes incorporate collage into my work and really enjoy layering paint to create texture and depth. As I know a certain stretch of the Cornish coastline so well I feel I could almost paint it with my eyes closed and my imagination certainly plays a big role when it comes to getting a composition down on canvas. In Winter I work in my studio based in Hertfordshire but in the Spring and Summer I work from my caravan and try to paint outdoors as much as the weather allows – my caravan is incredibly close to the coast path and edge of the cliffs so inspiration is close at hand !
How does it feel when one of your paintings is sold & you imagine it in its new home ?
I am always absolutely thrilled when I hear that one of my paintings has sold and it means so much that someone has decided to take one of my pieces of work home with them. I often hope that my love for the Cornish coast shows in my paintings and my interpretations of the beaches, headlands and coves that I visit convey not only their beauty but the sheer happiness I feel whilst there.
What influence do you take from the coast and nature ?
When I’m working in Cornwall I’m very must influenced by the ever changing coastline and rugged nature of the cliffs which are particularly dramatic on the north coast. I very much enjoy painting the rocks on the beach and as a colourist I’m constantly looking for contrasts and tones, often exaggerating colour to add interest and visual impact. I really enjoy painting the wild flowers and plants that populate the cliff tops and boundaries of the coast path too, often getting down low so that my viewpoint is looking through the grasses and flowers to glimpse the sea beyond.
How important is the coast path to you ?
The coast path is very important to me and over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering new parts of it. Although I primarily paint around the north coast on the stretch of coast path roughly between Padstow and Newquay, I can be found wandering around Falmouth and Portscatho over on the south coast and enjoy painting the scenery around there too.
What is your favourite stretch of Coast Path ?
My favourite section of the coast path is between Padstow and Newquay as I’ve known it for well over 60 years and it is ingrained into my heart and soul.
About Lucy
Lucy Davies trained at St Martins and Brighton and has a BA (Hons) in graphic design, specialising in illustration. She paints full time, either at her studio in North London or in North Cornwall where she spends her summers.
The beautiful and sometimes wild coastal scenery of Cornwall are the inspiration behind Lucy’s seascapes. The dramatic sea, rugged cliffs and stunning, golden beaches inform her work and provide the reference for her colourful, mixed media paintings.
Although landscapes are the primary focus of her work, she has recently explored a more abstract approach and her still life paintings illustrate her love of colour, pattern and texture.
A keen walker Lucy will always take her camera and sketchbook with her on trips to record new images, so she has plenty of inspiration in the cold winter months when she’s tucked away in her studio.
Lucy’s painting of a Cornish stone wall got her selected to appear in the very first series of Sky’s Landscape Artist of the Year in 2015 and she is delighted to be represented by various galleries across the UK, many of which are in the south west of England.
The South West Coast Path 