Lucie In The Sky is the local artist we want to Twist and Shout about
Newcastle-based mixed media artist Lucie may have taken her name from a Beatles song, but she certainly needs no Help! making her art stand out from the crowd.
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Local mixed media artist Lucie’s journey with art started at her family’s kitchen table at the age of two, when her Mum began showing her the ropes. Painting and drawing have been a part of her daily life ever since…
Can you tell us about your journey into professional art?
My journey into professional art started when I was 16 years old and I was making and selling jewellery at small craft fairs. I always knew I wanted to create something myself and make a business from it. However, jewellery wasn’t quite right for me, as I felt I had more to explore. So, I decided to go on to study surface design, where my initial idea was to learn how to use my self-taught illustration skills and combine it with textiles.
During the course, I fell in love with colour, pattern and texture and discovered it was the surface design side of things I preferred rather than constructed textiles. This led me to painting more and discovering mixed media techniques, which are shown in my artworks today. Since completing my degree in 2011, I’ve been selling my art prints and paintings online, as well as working alongside my sister running our online graphic design platform, Designsta.
How would you describe your style?
Fun, vibrant and quirky. I love to be bold with my colours and incorporate a lot of metallic and foil gold. A mixture of large and loose brush strokes with texture creates a real energetic feel throughout my work. Vivid colour palettes set the dreamy tones of each piece, whilst the fluidity of the paint and contrast between the mixed media makes them come alive.
What inspires you?
Travelling and experiencing the wonders of nature plays an important role in fuelling my inspiration. I find a lot of my colour palette inspiration from flowers and birds. I have a slight obsession with drawing birds, especially tropical species because of their naturally vibrant colours.
Which other artists do you most admire?
There are so many to name, but a few of my recent admirations (which I found through Instagram) are Sophie Tea, CJ Hendry and Tahlia Stanton. They’re all such inspirational and talented artists!
What piece of art do you most wish you’d created yourself?
The ciggies series by CJ Hendry, which consists of 12 different hand-drawn, scrunched up Marlboro cigarettes with lipstick smeared on them. They were drawn in coloured pencil and they look so realistic!
And which of your own pieces are you most proud of having created?
I’m most proud of the first large scale canvas I ever painted from my Midnight In The City collection. It challenged me because it was the largest canvas I had ever painted.
How do you get ‘in the zone’ with your work?
Music plays a big part in getting me in the painting zone. I have a calming playlist which I like to listen to. It features the likes of Nils Frahm, Jon Hopkins, Boards of Canada, Aldous Harding and Ludovico Einaudi. Music really helps spark my imagination. I like to wear my trusty striped overalls too!
Your professional name is ‘Lucie in the Sky’ – are you a Beatles fan?
Yes, I’m a Beatles fan! I heard them a lot growing up and one of my favourite songs is ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’. I originally called myself Lucie in the Sky with Sequins, because I used to love using sequins when crafting my jewellery and textiles work. The name was a good fit for that time in my life and has grown alongside me while I’ve explored and developed my painting techniques and processes. I might not use sequins anymore, but I’m completely sentimental about the name!
Say you’re organising your own private art showing – name 5 people you’d most like to invite?
The first five people that I think of are: David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, Sophie Tea, Tracey Emin and Dawn Hindle.
What would be one piece of advice you’d give other women in the North East who are looking to enter into the world of professional art?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It can sometimes feel scary showing the world your art, because imposter syndrome thoughts can kick in from time to time and make you feel like you’re not good enough. Don’t listen to those thoughts and just believe in yourself instead. Take inspiration from artists you admire, but don’t compare yourself to them.
What would you most like to achieve in your career?
A huge goal for me is to exhibit my work in multiple art galleries in the UK and other countries. That has always been a dream!
And for you, what is art all about?
For me, art is a kind of therapy as well as my career. It’s helped me through some really difficult times in my life and it’s become a part of my daily routine – there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t draw, paint or illustrate something digitally. Art is a tool I use to freely express myself and it has no rules.
To discover Lucie’s work for yourself and to shop her collections (or commission your own bespoke piece of art), visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram
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