Lucy Marks - contemporary landscape painter

“why i paint what i paint”

“My practice is rooted in a deep connection to the natural world and the changing seasons. The rhythm and pace of the seasons as they drive the cycles of the natural world is key for my work. I am interested in slowing down so that I can truly notice a place — the shift of light across a field, the first flowers of spring, the stillness before rain, the movement of grasses in the wind, or the changing colours and shapes of the coastline throughout the year.

I return to the same landscapes, gardens, and coastal paths repeatedly, observing how they transform through the seasons. Through sustained observation, I become familiar with the character of a place, its seasonal rhythms, changing light, and the subtle details that reveal themselves over time. This sustained attention creates a deeper understanding of place and allows each painting I create to become part of an ongoing conversation with the landscape.

Alongside landscapes and coastal subjects, seasonal flower studies form an important part of my practice, offering a more intimate exploration of colour, structure, movement, and the fleeting nature of the seasons. Even when focusing on a single flower head, I do so with loose brushstrokes in order to convey shape and colour over detail.

In a world that often feels fast-paced and disconnected, painting is a way of paying attention. It is an act of observation, celebration, and gratitude. Through my work, I hope to share not only the appearance of a landscape, but the sense of immersion within it — the calm, wonder, joy, and connection that nature can offer.

Ultimately, my paintings are about presence: a reverence for the land, the seasons, and the fleeting moments of beauty that might otherwise pass unnoticed.

My hope is that each painting offers a moment of pause — an invitation to look more closely, to reconnect with the natural world, and to find beauty in what is often overlooked.”

biography

Lucy Marks grew up in and around Brighton. Lucy has worked for over 20 years as a professional painter. Her practice focuses on capturing landscapes and seascapes in Oil, Watercolour and Gouache. Lucy is an observational landscape painter, who works en plein air working directly from the subject, out in all weathers and seasons.  

Observation is key and her compositions are drawn from real places. Lucy works alla prima responding directly to the scene to gain a freshness in her work.  She works to capture an impression of the mood, atmosphere, and light.  In the studio, she uses her en plein air works and field sketches to scale up her paintings to much larger work. . She exhibits her works in prestigious art institutions, has won many awards, is well published and holds an MA in Fine Art from Brighton University.

Royal Insititute of Oil Painters

I’m delighted to have received my Certificate for election to ROI Full Member from the ROI Vice President, Haidee-Jo Summers. It was a very special and treasured moment, and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

It feels both an honour and a real milestone to be welcomed in this way, and I’m so grateful for the support and encouragement that has brought me here. A lovely big certificate is now at the framers, and I can’t wait to see it properly finished and on the wall.

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