Lucy Austin
Bristol
Painter and printmaker working with abstract forms from the landscape.
A painter and printmaker using abstract forms from the landscape; mixing ancient parts of Bristol's architecture with urban industrial areas. Working towards a new series of paintings which are collectively titled 'out of order'. The pictures are serious yet contain comic elements. And although loss is the underlying subject matter there is also something about a universal love of life.
The paintings are made on canvas over a long period of time with layers of collaged material. These fragments are pieced together slowly and combine elements of drawing, printmaking and painting. The materials include raw canvas, wax, felt, rice paper, cardboard packaging and gesso. The colour in the paintings is a range of pink, yellow ochre with drawn details in black ink and wax. The overlapping layers create a landscape which is rich and thoughtful within which there are elements appearing and lost under the surface.
Exhibitions
2025 Out of Order, Ruskin Mill, Nailsworth, Gloucester UK
2024 Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy
B.A.B.E (Bristol Artists Book Event) University of the West of England
2023 Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy
Bath Society of Artists, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
2022 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London
Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Adcademy, Bristol
Bath Society of Artistis, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
2021 Autumn Exhibition 169, Royal West of England Academy
2020 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London
Secret Postcard Auction, RWA Queens Road, Bristol BS8
2019 That Art Gallery, 17 Christmas Steps, Bristol BS1 5BS
Summer Show, Akinson Gallery, Millfield, Somerset
167th RWA Autumn Exhbition, Bristol BS8
Contemporary British Painting Prize, Menier Gallery, London
2018 Contemporary British Painting Prize, Huddersfield Art Gallery
Shelf Life, Ruskin Mill, Nailsworth GL6 0LA
166th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
Evolver Prize Exhibition, ACEarts Gallery, Somerton, Somerset
2017 SKETCH17, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough & UK tour
DRAWN Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
which way up; six abstract painters, Ruskin Mill Gallery, Nailsworth
165th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, Mall Galleries, London
164th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
New RWA@Atkinson Gallery, Millfield, Street, Somerset
Shifting Divides, CentreSpace Gallery, Bristol
Contemporary British Watercolour, Burton Art Gallery & Museum, Bideford Devon
Contemporary British Watercolour, Oriel Gallery, Antrim, Northern Ireland
2015 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, Mall Galleries, London
DRAWN, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
Contemporary British Watercolour, Maidstone Art Gallery & Museum
163rd Annual Open Exhibition, RWA Bristol (Elected Academican)
2014 Summer Exhibition, The Royal Academy, London
Playing Around, CentreSpace Gallery, Bristol
162nd Annual Open Exhibition, RWA Bristol, (Academican Candidate)
2013 161th Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
The Cube Gallery, Affordable Art Fair, New York, USA
2012 Surface Disturbances, The Searchers Contemporary, Bristol
2011 Home, Core Gallery, Deptford, London SE8
SKETCH11, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough
2010 The Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Space, London (& UK tour)
Celebrating Paper, Royal West of England Academy (RWA), Bristol
The London Art Fair, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, London
2008 The Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Space, London (& UK tour)
Drawing in Space, The Pound Art Centre, Corsham, Wiltshire
Drawing Together, The ArtGym, Hengrove School, Bristol
Prize Drawing, ArtSpace, Southwell, Nottingham
2007 The Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Space, London (& UK tour)
Open Sculpture Competition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2006 Hide & Seek, Mivart Open Studios, Bristol curated by Sarah Williams, Jerwood London
2005 Jerwood Project Space, Jerwood Space, London
2004 Cumulus, West Slype, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester
Mare’s Tales, Gloucester Guildhall Gallery, Gloucester
2003 View, ArtSway, Sway, New Forest
2002 Eyepoppers, Twigworth Hall, Gloucester
1997 8th Oriel Mostyn Open, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno
Awards and Prizes
2006 Mivart Artists Award, Mivart Open Studios, Bristol
2002 Eyepoppers, Gloucester, First Prize, Solo show in Gloucester Cathedral
Artist Talks
2018 Sat 22nd September 2pm start, Ruskin Mill Gallery, Nailsworth
Bath Society of Artists, BRLSI, Bath BA1 2HN
2017 Artist Talk for the RWA Friends, Bristol
which way up, Artist Conversations, Ruskin Mill, Nailsworth
2014 Playing Around, CentreSpace Gallery, Bristol
2012 Surface Disturbances, The Searchers Contemporary, Bristol
2011 Show and Tell, Core Gallery, Deptford SE8
Residencies
2005 Flock, Bristol Central Library, Bristol (installation of drawings in books)
2003 Artist in Residence, Creative Partnerships & Multi A, Hartcliffe & Withywood Bristol (ACE)
2000 5x5x5 Project, St Saviour's Junior School & The Victoria Art Gallery, Bath (NSEAD)
1996 Artist in Residence, Martin Wilson Primary School, Shrewsbury
Publications
2020 Summer Exhibition, catalogue Royal Academy, London
2019 Analogue, dialogue with Mathew Collings (Contemporary British Painting Prize)
2018 Shelf life, essay by Nick Moore
2017 Which Way Up, essay by Nick Moore
SKETCH17, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough
2016 RWA@Atkinson Gallery, Millfield, Street, Somerset
2015 Contemporary British Watercolour, essay by Simon Carter
2014 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London
2012 Tender Machines, published through www.blurb.co.uk
2011 SKETCH11, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough
Drawing Together, drawing project with Creativity Works, ISBN 978-0-9557079-4-0
2010 The Jerwood Drawing Prize 2010, Parker Harris, London
2008 The Book:Mark Project, The Real Ideas Organisation (RiO), ISBN 978-1-906687-00-7
The Jerwood Drawing Prize 2008, London, ISBN 978-0955664670
2007 The Jerwood Drawing Prize 2007, London, ISBN 955664601-9
2003 The Open Sculpture Competition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
1998 30 years of Cheltenham Fellows, Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education
1997 The 8th Oriel Mostyn Open, Llandudno, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno
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