Lucy Parker
About Lucy Parker
I grew up in Bognor Regis and went to Sussex University to study Biology. My mother took a dim view of art schools even though she was an artist herself. But you can't keep a good artists down, so after university I went to Brighton Polytechnic to study illustration.
I illustrated computer games in the early eighties, which involved making Pac-man look interesting, and in 1995 I joined the Fiveways Artist group. I have exhibited in the Brighton Festival Open Houses nearly every year since then, as well as having exhibitions in the US, the Netherlands, France and of course, Sussex.
After my children were born I became an art teacher. I have taught all over Brighton area in the past 25 years. I love teaching and enjoy taking people the journey I have been on developing traditional skills in most media.
I treat life drawing like artistic aerobics. I developed a style of watercolour painting of the nude after going to Graham Dean's Re-inventing the Watercolour workshop many moons ago. It involved drawing directly onto handmade Khadi paper with tube watercolours and then throwing water at it. This makes for incredibly strong tones and colours and its unpredictability I find very exciting.
I keep a sketchbook on the go all the time, particularly when on holiday and always come home inspired to develop sketches into paintings. I am mad about Venice and try and go there every year. I have been known to go a bit Goth finding inspiration from Philip Jackson's marvellous sculptures of Venetian figures and placing them in gloomy situations in Venice to add to the sinister feeling.
I was lucky enough to marry an American whose mother had a house in Cape Cod. the light and the colours there are a constant inspiration. Recently I have switched to oil painting the landscape there and I am currently having a deep love affair with Cadmiun lemon yellow which is perfect for painting the marsh grass around Waquoit Bay. I do hope they don't ban it.
Lucy Parker teaches at the friends Centre, Lawrences art studio and the Whieway Centre in Rottingdean.
You can see more of her work at www.lbparker.com
