“when I was small, I used to wander alone in the woods. one time i remember getting lost: it is one of my richest and most enduring early memories. i remember the colours and light and textures; the pink foxgloves, the rich green foliage, the spongy ground underfoot; but most of all i remember the dichotomous emotions – i felt fearful because i was, for the first time ever, genuinely lost and alone in a corner of the woods i’d never ventured into before that day, and i felt a dreadful fear that i would be lost forever – but i also felt a thrill for the same reasons, as if i’d happened upon some magical other dimension unseen to others. i wandered around in there, imagining i was far, far from home, for some time, until i found myself once again in a bit of the woods i recognised. this memory is always there, in what i paint, the sense of wonder, the glee and the fear…”

Strongly influenced by myth and archetypes as well as the artist’s own fascination for the crossover between the physical and the subconscious worlds, there is an element of fairytale narrative in Lucy Campbell’s painting which evokes delicate memories of childhood, of something loved, lived or lost. Populated by characters and motifs from the old tales, with more contemporary influences drawn from comics, children’s books and graffiti, her work communicates ambivalence as well as wonder; often described as naive there is also a darkness lurking. It aims to be without pretention, rich in symbolism that excludes no one, but invites every viewer to undulge our very human hunger for mystery, magic and story.

To contact Lucy, click here.