The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022

21 June to 21 August 2022, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, London

I am delighted to have been selected to show at the 2022 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Out of the 16,500 entries my large oil Golden Dawn Towards Tillington Monument, Petworth, was selected. Measuring 1.2m x 2m, I am hoping that it will make a splash on the walls of the Royal Academy!

In 2021, I was invited by Petworth House, National Trust, to paint their park and gardens. I was provided with unprecedented at times of day when access for the general public was prohibited. Visiting in the early morning over a period of months, I created a large body of sketches in watercolour and finished works in oil en plein air. My aim was to use these as the basis for a number of larger works in the studio. Golden Dawn Towards Tillington Monument, Petworth, was the result. The work captures the energy and mood of the rapidly changing early morning light in Petworth Park.

Please see the Royal Academy website for more details.

Golden Dawn Towards Tillington Monument, Petworth, Oil, 1.2m x 2m

Moncrieff-Bray Gallery Summer Exhibition

6 May - 25 June, Moncrieff-Bray Gallery, Petworth, West Sussex

I am delighted to have a selection of work at the very beautiful Moncrieff-Bray Gallery in Petworth. All my work for the Summer Exhibition was commissioned and painted bespoke for this exhibition. It’s so exciting to be showing these new oil paintings with such a fabulous gallery. Several from my selection have already sold, so pop in soon or visit my artist’s page.

Please check the Moncrieff-Bray website for opening times.

Looking out to Sea, Oil, 60 x 84cm

Chelsea Art Society Annual Exhibition

16 - 20 June, Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, London

I am very excited to be showing with the Chelsea Art Society and this year is my first time as a member. I have shown and been selected for the Society’s Annual Exhibition for many years and this year I will have four works in the exhibition. These will be showing alongside a wonderful array of other artists from the Society and also the Open entry.

This year, the Society has invited its members to exhibit one small, postcard-sized work to be exhibited as the ‘Marsden Masterpieces’ and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Marsden.

Check out my artists page here.

Brooding Skies Across Petworth Deer Park, Oil, 20 x 25cm

Piers Feetham Gallery – Aldeburgh Festival

5th - 26th June, Hill Lodge, Church Walk, Aldeburgh

As always I am delighted to be one of the artists showing with the wonderful Piers Feetham Gallery. The Festival is a great celebration on in Aldeburgh on Suffolk’s wild North Sea coast, so, if you live in or near the area do pop in!

Please check the Piers Feetham website for opening times and more details.

Walking Amongst the Wild Grasses, Oil, 50 x 50 cm

Royal Watercolour Society - ‘London Lives’

30 June - 10 July 2022, Bankside Gallery, London

The Royal Watercolour Society will be exhibiting works by their members in the show ‘London Lives’ to celebrate all things London. I will be showing several works in this fun show at the Bankside Gallery - right next to Tate Modern on the Embankment. All works will be available to take away with you on the day, so I have made sure that my works in the show are small enough for you to carry home should you wish to purchase!

Flags to Buckingham Palace, Watercolour, 13 x 18cm

Christmas at the Royal Watercolour Society

The Bankside Gallery, next to the Tate Modern, is home to the Royal Watercolour Society. As you may remember I have been made an Associate of this prestigious society and take part in all their shows.

For Christmas the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers are hosting the ‘Mini Picture Show.’ A selection of small works by their members will be exhibited from 3rd December 2021 - 30th January 2022. These works can be purchased in the gallery and taken straight home off the wall or bought online.

I have two works available in the exhibition. Both were painted en Plein Air earlier this year and in my contemporary style of working.

Blue Skies and Gold (above) and Bankside Beach to the City (below), 30 x 30cm, gouache

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters

I am thrilled to have had two oils selected for this year’s Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Show at the Mall Galleries. The standard for this show is always so high and it is such an honour to be selected and show alongside the Members’ fabulous work. It is a real treat of a show full of arguably the best oil painters in the UK.

The Private View was extra special this year and opened by Sir Keir Starmer who gave an inspirational speech about the arts and education alongside the wonderful President of the ROI, Tim Benson.

The show will run until 5th Dec at the Mall Galleries. I was delighted to sell one of my oils in the online preview show! How wonderful is that? I still have one work available and you can still browse and purchase all the work here.

Brooding Skies across Petworth Deer Park, Oil, 20 x 25cm

The ING Discerning Eye 2021

The ING Discerning Eye is always a highlight in the art calendar! It features an array of selected works across all spectrums of art genres. I have been extremely lucky over the years to have been selected several times for this fabulous show.

This year I had four large oil paintings selected by the retiring Chairman of the Discerning Eye, Tony Humphreys and I was delighted to sell three of the landscapes. All four works were painted en plein air along a chalk path high up in the South Downs. The path takes you along an ancient chalk track from Cissbury Ring to Chanctonbury Ring with amazing views across the fields.

I was also thrilled that Tony Humphreys selected an oil painting from my studio as his retirement present. What an honour that someone with such an eye for art should choose one of my works!

On the last day of the show I was also invited to do a ‘demo’ at the Mall Galleries. I set up thinking it would be very quiet on the last day. How wrong was I! I was so busy chatting and demonstrating to visitors - and my social media followers who took the trouble to pop by and say ‘hello’ in person - that time just flew. A big thank you to all you lovely people who came. It’s always a pleasure to meet you all!

The show can still be viewed online until 31st December 2021.

The Little Gems Show

For those of you who follow me on social media you know I also sell my work direct from my studio.

This Winter I have a new collection of ‘Little Gems’ online and available to browse and purchase. They are all ‘small’ works painted en plein air over the Summer and Autumn in some of my favourite outdoor locations.

The collection has both oils and watercolours available in a variety of small sizes perfect for those Christmas presents or just to treat yourself! Each work is framed in a limed wood hand painted Farrow and Ball frame.

They have been flying out of the studio so a thank you to everyone who has bought a painting so far. Don’t worry if you haven’t got your hands on one yet, there are still more fabulous ‘Little Gem’ oils and watercolours available in the studio. You can browse and purchase here.

The Yellow House at the Harbour, Oil on wood, 13 x 18cm, £200

Late Autumn Sun, Oil on wood, 13 x 18cm, £200

Coming Up This Autumn...

Lots of things are in the pipeline for the coming months! Firstly there is one very exciting exhibition that I have been invited to show at in the autumn. I spent this summer painting four very special works for the show! No sneak peaks just yet but stay tuned for the announcement coming very soon…

Moving into the Autumn a new online show will go live on my website from mid November featuring new works in both oil and watercolour. The ‘Little Gems’ show will have a variety of special small works to purchase at reasonable prices for your Christmas presents. I will keep you all posted about the launch of this show nearer the time!

From Christmas and the start of 2022 I will be starting work for my next show! Some of you may remember that before ‘Dawn to Dusk’ I was just starting to work on a series called ‘Constable’s Walks’, based on the three routes Constable walked out of Brighton in the four years he lived there. Constable and his wife came for the sea air from 1824-28 when his wife was very ill with tuberculosis. As a result Constable did some regular walks. These three walks still exist, though somewhat changed, and I am intending to walk these routes and paint along the way. My aim is not to represent Constable’s works that he painted along these routes, but to explore my own interpretation of the scenes. I intend to paint both oil and watercolours, both Plein and also a few select lager studio works.

So there is lots on the way. Look out for the exciting news this Autumn and my small online show of ‘Little Gems’ coming in November!

Autumn at the Royal Watercolour Society

The RWS autumn show ‘Then and Now’, will run from the 1 to 31 October at Bankside. I’ll be showing four watercolours, including three new works painted in the summer of 2021 on the South Downs close to the National Trust site of Cissbury Ring. My older work was also painted in the same area and was part of my ‘Quiet, Beauty & Space’ online show. All works convey the mood of the Downs near the ancient site of Cissbury Ring; a feeling of space and air.

Looking West towards the Light, watercolour, 44x44cm

Along the Downs, watercolour, 28x28cm

Green Pastures and Clouds, watercolour, 30x30cm

High Hills and Clouds, watercolour, 28x28cm

Summer at the Royal Watercolour Society

This year I was made an Associate of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS). Such an honour! As a result I have started to take part in the their annual shows at the wonderful Bankside Gallery (If you don’t know Bankside check it out, it’s right next to the Tate Modern on the South Bank) and I also have my own page up in the Royal Watercolour Society website.

Over the Summer the RWS had an amazing show ‘Summer at Bankside’ which was extremely popular! I had four works in this show and by popular demand the show was extended into the ‘September Showcase’ which runs until the 26 September.

Grey Light, watercolour, 47x47cm

Remembering the Skies, watercolour, 40x40cm

Mist on the Hills, watercolour, 47x47cm

Horizon Glow, watercolour ,47x52 cm

The Wedlake Bell Award and Chelsea Art Society Membership!

I am delighted to announce that after many years of entering the Chelsea Art Society’s open exhibition I was made a member this year! I am also honoured to have been invited to participate in the ‘Wedlake Bell Award’ exhibition where I will be showing two paintings - Green Land and Pale Sun and High Up. ‘The Wedlake Bell Award’ exhibition runs from 13-19 September at 340 Kings Road.

It’s an amazing show full of some wonderful artists that takes place annually in Chelsea. The society membership are a credit to themselves with the whole show going up in only three days from receipt of works and selection, through to a full show catalogue being printed with works all hung! If you have never been to see their work, you really should make a trip! You can browse and purchase all works now @chelseaartsociety or online at https://chelseaartsociety.org.uk/gallery/

Green Land and Pale Sun, oil, 32x32cm, framed, £375

High Up, Watercolour, 57x57cm, framed, £750

'Dawn to Dusk' at Petworth House now closed

‘Dawn to Dusk’, my solo show at Petworth House and Gardens has now closed. It has been such a privilege, delight and thrill to have been invited by Petworth House to paint their Deer Park (all 700 acres of it!) and their Gardens. I can’t express what joy and fun I have had painting in the grounds, all culminating in a ten-week show in the Servant’s Quarters Gallery at Petworth House.

Based on the cycle of the day in Petworth Deer Park and Gardens the show was painted in a combination of Plein air work and larger studio works. Through out the Summer I have been able to meet a lot of my wonderful followers and ‘new’ followers at my ‘Meet the Artist’ sessions in the Gallery at Petworth House. And over the Summer I have also run a few ‘Demo Days’ where I have been in the grounds of the House painting all day. Lots of people have come by to watch and chat about all things arty and I want to thank everyone for making the journey to see me paint. We had a lot of fun - even if some of the days were roasting hot and we had seek out the shade!

‘Dawn to Dusk’ had a fabulous double spread in The Artist and articles in Painters Online and Artists and Illustrators. The show also reached an international audience with several page spreads in PleinAir Magazine and American Watercolor Magazine, both American publications. I am thrilled to say as a result many of the paintings where sold to overseas collectors! We also reached TV with Latest TV interview and Radio Sussex!

My show at Petworth has been one of the most amazing experiences. I can’t thank the team at Petworth enough for all their valuable support. I shall no doubt be returning to paint their beautiful Deer Park and gardens in the future… It will feel like coming back to an old friend!

Don’t worry if you missed the show! It will go up on here under past exhibitions to be browsed and purchased for the foreseeable future!

The Royal Watercolour Society

I am delighted and honoured to say that I have been elected as an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS)!

The Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) was founded in 1804 and is the oldest and most prestigious watercolour society in the world. Past Members include Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, E.R. Hughes, William Hunt, Henry Moore and John Singer Sargent. The RWS is an artist-led society made up of an elected Membership who are amongst the finest practitioners in contemporary water-based painting.

The home of the RWS is the Bankside Gallery which is right next to Tate Modern, which it shares with the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE).

The RWS hold two shows a year at Bankside in the Spring and Autumn and join their friends and colleagues at the RE for two other shows in the Summer and Winter. So you will be able to see my watercolours exhibited in four shows a year.

I shall keep you all posted on dates of the next exhibitions. And perhaps you will make a day of it see the RWS and then pop in for a cuppa and a wonder around Tate Modern.

I am very excited to have been elected and to be able to show alongside such wonderful artists!

And Meet the Sky, Watercolour, 1m x 1m

Petworth House, Park and Gardens 'Dawn to Dusk' exhibition

I am thrilled and honoured to announce that I have been invited by Petworth House and Park, the beautiful National Trust site, to paint their estate and gardens… which will culminate in a solo exhibition in the house itself!

Entitled ‘Dawn to Dusk’, the show will run from Saturday 3 July to Sunday 19 September in the Servants' Quarters Gallery in Petworth House. 

I can’t wait to see you there this summer! If you want to come and say hello and visit the stunning house and grounds, don’t forget you’ll need to book your dates first. Petworth will release all their summer dates soon so keep an eye out! 

Between now and the show opening on 3 July, I will be painting ‘en plein air’ in the grounds, in my usual oils, watercolours and charcoal sketches. 

If you visit Petworth House, come and say hi! I’d love to meet you - socially distanced, of course. When you go through Visitors’ Reception, you will be able to see a map of ‘Lucy on Location’, where I'll indicate where I am in the park, so you can come and find me painting. If you see me in the park, if you want to share your favourite views of the grounds with me, or share some Petworth inspiration, post a picture on social media and join the conversation by using #LucyOnLocation and tagging me.

I’ll be posting where I am on my social pages too! By the way, if you’re not following me on social media yet, I'm @lucy_marks_art on Instagram, @marks_lucy on Twitter, and @lucymarks.co.uk on Facebook.

While the exhibition runs, from 3 July to 19 September, I will be hosting four ‘Artist in Action’ demonstrations, on both my watercolour and oil painting in the grounds. 

There will also be four ‘Meet the Artist’ sessions, where you can come and chat with me and discuss the exhibition and all things arty. 

I do hope I will see you there! As the sun comes out and the lockdown eases, we’ll be able to enjoy all that nature and culture have to offer together at Petworth House. So, come out and see me paint in the grounds this spring, book in your visit for ‘Dawn to Dusk’, and join a demonstration or meet with me in the summer.

Constable Walks Series

As most of you who follow me regularly know, I have been working on my ‘Constable’s Walks’ Series recently. This series is based on the three walks Constable undertook when he stayed in Brighton between 1820 and 1824 while his wife was very sick with tuberculosis.

I have been working on this for some time and have about 25 works already completed from the three walks.

However, you’ve probably read my exciting news above: I have been invited by Petworth House & Park, the National Trust site, to paint their estate and grounds culminating in a solo show this summer!

As a result ‘Constable’s Walks’ will be put on hold until the Autumn. So if you were following along this project, don’t worry, I will resume painting the three walks out of Brighton for my online show later this year. This is a series I am very excited to be painting and will look forward to picking it up at the end of my Petworth House exhibition.

ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary 2020

I am thrilled to have been shortlisted for the ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary 2020. This means so much to me as drawing underpins all my work. I feel I spend more time drawing than painting sometimes.

I work ‘en plein air’ and also in the ‘studio’ however before I start painting each work will have a drawing completed before I start work. Even when out in the field painting ‘en plein air’ I will make a thumbnail sketch in charcoal before hand. For me making the drawing either in charcoal or graphite is a way of exploring and understanding the image in shapes, tonal values and feel.

I like to use charcoal sticks, old school style. I know there are a wealth of liquid and fancy charcoals available. And I have tried them all. Believe me I like nothing better than investigating art products. But for me there is such a beautiful feel about charcoal and the unpredictability of it snapping and using the new snapped edge. Picking up a small piece from the bottom of the Tupperware box that I keep them in and then crushing it on the paper. Nothing like getting your fingers messy. I work light to begin with and then push in into the work with the darks.

The painting which follows feels familiar due to having worked a drawing first. Often the drawings stand in their own right as well. Like the three works which were selected by the ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary. These were drawings done out in the landscape and were full of emotion.

You can follow the exhibition at @ingdiscerningeye or #INGDiscerningEye on Instagram. The exhibition will open online on Thursday 19th November at 7pm!

Harvest Moon, Charcoal, 30 x 30cm. Selected for the ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary 2020

Rain Blowing Through, Charcoal, 30 x 30cm. Selected for the ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary 2020

Clear Light, Charcoal, 30 x 30cm. Selected for the ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary 2020

Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition

I am delighted that Evening Falls, Bury Hill - Oil - has been selected for the the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition. It is always a delight and an honour to be selected by this prestigious society.  

Evening Falls, Bury Hill was painted plein air just as the light was fading. Bury Hill sits nestled in the South Downs and is a magical spot. The light around the hill is always fascinating and is a regular painting subject for me. 

The show will run 25th Nov - 6th Dec. Due to Covid restrictions, this year’s ROI Exhibition is online through the Mall Galleries at https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/royal-institute-oil-painters-annual-exhibition-2020

ING Discerning Eye Artist’s Instagram Takeover

I was delighted to be invited by the Discerning Eye to ‘Takeover’ their Instagram for five days. 

Last year my oil painting ‘Through the Fields’ won the Humphrey’s Purchase Prize.  Receiving such wonderful recognition sparked me on to continue pushing my painting.

For the Instagram Takeover I decided to take the viewers on a daily journey of my painting process from sketching and painting ‘Plein Air’. Through to working up larger pieces from these outside works in the studio. 

I work in both oils and watercolours and regularly paint outside.  All my works start off painted in a real location.  It is these works that are used as my ‘primary source’ to paint from back in the studio.  I never use photos.  I like to allow my memory to be part of the process as well.  I also aim to work with a semi-abstract contemporary feel.  For me the ‘mood of her place’ or ‘spirit of the place‘ is the important factor to convey. So I don’t focus on detail.  

My ‘Plein Air’ work although the basis for my larger studio work are also works in their own right.