As part of our celebration of North Yorkshire and the Dales, we’re featuring some of the wonderfully talented people that make it so special and do their best to capture its beauty for all to enjoy. Lucy Pittaway is an award-winning artist who is lucky to call Yorkshire her home. We recently shared a pot of tea with Lucy to discuss her work, Yorkshire and how she likes to make people smile!
“You get a sense that everyone is so proud to be from Yorkshire with its iconic landmarks and its heritage”
What is it about North Yorkshire that makes you happy to call it home?
I love the rolling hills of the Yorkshire dales, the contrast between the rugged coastline and the smooth sweeping expanses of green, yellow and purple through the changing seasons. The people here are so nice and welcoming you feel immediately at home. You get a sense that everyone is so proud to be from Yorkshire with its iconic landmarks and its heritage.
When did you start painting the area and how does it inspire your work?
I began painting the area in 2007 and have continued to draw inspiration from the popular beauty spots and some of the animals that inhabit the fields around me. The stunning scenery of Yorkshire can change by the hour as the weather moves through, drawing out a vast array of colour and perspectives which inspire my work. The harshness of winter life plays a huge role in the Sheep collection with pieces such as ‘Hardy Soul’ and ‘Shaggy Sheep’ depicting life in the Dales for all of its inhabitants, not just the sheep!
What do you try to capture most in your work?
It’s a mixed recipe of emotion, relationships, life experiences and a smidge of humour! Family is very important to me as a mother of twins, and much of my family life is reflected in my art. Frequently a picture has an underlying meaning, or a hidden image such as a ladybird in a meadow, or a word hidden in some flowers. What I love most is allowing people to make their own interpretation as to the meaning of a picture, and find many people choose their art because they see something in it that’s relevant to them. That’s what is most important.
What season/point of the year do you love the most?
My art is designed to make people smile, whatever the season or the weather Yorkshire throws at us! I adore spring as it’s the beginning of the warmer months when the colour is drawn back into the grey canvas we seem to live with for too long during winter! I love using bold colours in my work and as spring unfolds I look forward to three seasons of a beautiful mix of bright colours to draw from.
For more about Lucy’s work and how you can you can purchase her paintings visit www.lucypittaway.co.uk
