How mixed media artist Lucy Pickford combines human design with nature

Lucy Pickford is a figurative, mixed media artist looking at the world through its streetscapes and thresholds, looking at the combination of human design and nature in everything.

Here we chat with Lucy about her journey into art…

Tell us more about your journey into the art world.

I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember, but hesitated to go to art school because I thought I should be sensible. So I trained as a Landscape Architect and have since undertaken an Art History MA, but I was always painting. I got shortlisted for the RA summer exhibition when I was nineteen and that kept me going before finally, committing to myself for the first time in my life, I decided to put on my own solo show in 2019. I then discovered ArtCan, an extremely supportive arts collective that helped me stay on that journey.

I put on another solo show in 2023. It’s all been self funded and self driven, something I’m very proud of given that many have money and/or partners that help ease the journey by taking the weight of living costs and the weight of living. As my aunt once said, ‘you’ve done all of this and you’ve cooked, cleaned and worked’.

The art world can be a tricky one to navigate and I’m still finding my way but I do know I’ve found a support network that allows me to keep going. I’m also now represented by BobCat Gallery, a small scale nomadic gallery focussed on affordable, original art.

How would you describe your signature style and technique?

I’m a figurative landscape artist using acrylics and more recently watercolours. I also experiment with cyanotypes and other media where I can. My style is often described as both technical and illustrative. This is partly due to the only formal training I’ve had being in landscape architecture but I also think it’s partly down to my own sense of self too.

I like to know the rules but then play around with them – my work is technical but I’m certainly not a perfectionist. The colour and the vibrancy of my work is partly due to access to materials; with limited space, painting with oils gets messy so acrylics seemed like a clear choice. I play with views and journeys, connecting with place in each of my works.

Can you tell us about your latest work? Where did you find inspiration and what is the story behind it?

I’ve only recently started exploring watercolours, for the first time since my childhood. This has allowed me a freedom to move away from my standard one point perspective. I’ve looked more at moments in time, rather than a view, something that’s more of a connection. It’s not that I’ve not sought to do that in my other work, where the perspective draws you in to the image, but this sits differently. You’re watching the world go by. For me, it’s a very particular moment, sitting in an empty carriage on a hot summers day, passing through the city I once lived in, now there as a tourist.

Are there any exhibitions or events you are planning in near future?

I’m now represented by BobCat Gallery, who currently have a space in Putney Exchange Shopping Centre, London. I’ve also just been selected to curate and participate in an exhibition for one of the Hypha Studios sites, we’re just firming up the details on this so watch this space.

What is the best advice you’ve been given as an artist?

Don’t overthink it. It’s somewhat all encompassing, but remembering to just do rather than think can keep you moving forward and stops you from doing work for others. If you’re thinking about who you’re trying to please all the time, it’s unlikely you’ll create good work that you’re happy with. It stops you from forcing it.

For more information please visit BobCat Gallery.

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