Lucy Dickens

We are delighted to be welcoming esteemed artist Lucy Dickens back to The Osborne Studio Gallery for her third one-man exhibition. Her captivating images and distinctive style of painting have earned her significant acclaim and the success of previous shows with us in 2001 and 2003 are testament to her talent and popularity.

A London-based artist, Lucy’s inspiration is drawn from her surroundings and the people she encounters. Armed with a small sketchbook, Lucy constantly observes and records the minutiae of everyday life. She is passionate about capturing and conveying the spontaneity of the scene before her, be it in the smoky back room of a bar or jazz club, London street or Parisian brasserie. Usually sketching “undercover” Lucy admits readily to her fascination with people, their behaviour and actions. Her skill lies in the sharpness of her observation and her remarkable ability to endow each of her finished paintings with a sense of “narrative”. She brings her characters to life before us on the canvas and allows us an intriguing glimpse into their private worlds.

Great-great-granddaughter of renowned Victorian author and chronicler Charles Dickens, it is no surprise that Lucy has developed similar creative and observational strengths. She began her career as a successful free-lance journalist and illustrator working for such great magazines as Vogue, Harpers & Queen and Tatler, as well as The Financial Times, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail newspapers. She began to paint whilst illustrating and writing a series of children’s books, published both in London and New York. In 1990 she decided to become a full-time artist, a decision from which she has never looked back. Her stunning studio in North London provides her with the perfect light and space in which to paint.

When looking at Lucy’s work, we find a tremendous variety of subject matter and this 2005 exhibition will be no exception. Alongside distinctive images including scenes from bars and restaurants, hotel foyers and music-halls we find light, atmospheric paintings of the beach and sea, as well as remarkably eloquent still-lives. This diversity of subject matter reveals something of Lucy’s own character, her vibrancy, enthusiasm, and in many cases her sense of humour, the painting ‘Propping Up the Bar’, is a perfect example of this.

The collection of work in this autumn’s exhibition is Lucy’s strongest yet – this is a show that should not be missed.