Aleph Contemporary for AccessArt

Painting is a process, where following the accidents and collisions of the material, I attempt to strike a path forward. When working on paper; producing the work feels incredibly intimate. The small scale enables an alternative kind of risk taking to occur. The way a large brush can swoosh right across the surface in a matter of seconds, perhaps obliterating much of the underpainting, suggests a different sense of freedom and effortlessness. The ease of gliding across the painting in one large brushstroke resonates that feeling of falling water or the unveiling on silk. Indeed, flow is an important aspect to my work.

My paintings descend from a fascination withe the flamboyant nature of things. I enjoy objects that are strikingly bold and elaborately styled. I am interested in the drama, when the curtains open at the opera and the music begins. A visit to Rome marked my interest in the baroque and the neoclassical. I often look at Goya and Caravaggio and the power that can be generated through sharp contrast and black backdrops. I am intrigued with the relationship of colour and light, and the interplay of this harmonious equilibrium.

Education
2016 - 2020: BA Fine Art, The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL - First Class Honours

Awards
2017 - The Painters Stainers’ Company Scholarship
2017 - The Richard Ford Award
2017 - The Faculty Scholarship of Excellence Award 
2018 - The Hix Award Shortlist
2020 - The Slade Prize
2020 - The Dean's List
2020 - UCL East Provost Art Prize 

Group Shows
2017   ‘Bloom,’ The Copeland Gallery, London 
2017   ‘Ollio,’ The Crypt Gallery St Pancreas, London
2018   ‘Bridge,’ IZO Art Gallery, Moscow 
2018   ‘Plus One,’ APT Gallery, London
2018   ‘The Hix Award,’ Hix Art Gallery
2018   ‘Stars On Canvas,’ Piccadilly
2018   ‘Gift’ APT Gallery, London
2019    Coutts Bank, (Hix Award) London
2020   ‘Drawn Together,’ Unit London, online Exhibition 
2020   'Circa' Piccadilly Lights, W1 London 
2021   'Slade Summer Show,' London

www.lydiamakin.com @lydiamakinart