Charlotte Lucy Paints

New work on the site today!

'Two Cappuccinos'
Acrylic on canvas, framed in Tasmanian oak
33cm x 33cm

// A still life inspired by the flavours of a cozy winter's morning: coffee, cinnamon, chocolate, and citrus. //

Birthday flowers for a special little person about to turn one! I enjoyed this commission so much.

Watercolour and prismacolor pencil
A5 hot press paper

🌸

‘The Butterfly and the Bee’
Fine liner pen on hot press paper
A5 size

View on my website here:

https://www.charlottelucypaints.com/product-page/the-butterfly-and-the-bee

WEBSITE LAUNCH 🚀

www.charlottelucypaints.com

Hey friends,
After much ado, today is the day I FINALLY launch my website. This is where you can buy original art, find out more about commissions, and read a little about me and my interests.

It means a lot to have reached this milestone in my art-making. I hope you like the design and the beautiful portraits by .

(Also, I am no web designer, so if you see something that isn’t working as it should, I’d love for you to let me know!)

N E W • W O R K

“It’s been too long”
64cm x 64cm
Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas Framed in Tasmanian oak

~ DID YOU KNOW ~
You can claim art as a tax deductible? I popped a little slide in my stories about this, which I discovered via . Art for your small business or home office can be claimed as an expense, so now is a pretty sweet time to snap up a new painting for your space!

DM me if you can see “It’s been too long” brightening up a blank wall.

It's now easier to send Charlotte Lucy Paints a message.

📝 Field Notes: Butcherbird 2 📝

50cm x 50cm
Acrylic paint and oil pastel on canvas, framed in oak with a walnut stain.

This is the second painting I’ve done based on the butcherbird song, which is described in my bird guide as “melodious rollicking and whistling, often in duet.” The “voice” section of the guide is definitely my favourite because the descriptions are always so entertaining and kind of weird. The Torresian Crow, for instance, is described as saying “okay okay okay okay okay” all the time, while the Striated Heron squawks “explosive ‘hoo’s” (😂😂). The Red-necked Avocet “yelps and wheezes,” whereas the Sooty Albatross partakes in “sad screaming” (🥴😂).

Anyway! I’m still exploring the butcherbird call at the moment, thinking an even bigger canvas is in order. Perhaps the magpie should be next?

DM me for more info on this painting 😊

Frame + pic by .artservices

📝 “Field Notes (butcherbird)”

This is the first painting in a new series of abstract works called ‘Field Notes’, developed from written notes and sound recordings taken on our birdwatching walks. 😀🦅

These paintings attempt to depict individual bird songs in colour, shape, and line. I was listening to an interview with the abstract landscape painter Joanna Logue on who discussed how she amasses a “vocabulary of marks” over time, like learning a language, to understand and capture the swamplands where she lives. I love that idea of having a language of marks, and so I’ve tried to translate some of the phrases of the grey butcherbird song into such marks (like signatures) in this piece.

The butcherbird voice - like a number of warbling, rollicking birdsongs - is quite complex and layered, so underneath the most eye-catching lines in black oil pastel are a number of subtle inscriptions carved into the white paint… I think of these as “ghost marks”.

Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
30 cm x 30cm
Framed in oak with a lovely walnut strain.

**You may have glimpsed this as a work-in-progress in one of my reels when I was veering away from my original intention for the work (birdsongs) and nearly plonked little houses on it - I’m glad I didn’t!

Waltz of the Flowers
30cm x 30cm
Framed in Tasmanian Oak

My attempt at capturing the energy of spring flowers. I was thinking about the breeze and how it makes the stems dance, but also about the interactions between flowers and small creatures, like bees and butterflies and birds. So I’ve hidden a butterfly in this abstract floral somewhere - can you find it? 🦋

DM me if you’re interested in this one!

💐 Sunday Morning Ritual 💐
I painted this 20x20 in response to a prompt for a competition, “little things”. It’s of one of the fresh flower bouquets we get from our local grocer ( ) every few weeks to brighten the kitchen. A burst of colour and bright scents to lift the mood…

Frame + pics: .artservices

Possum Banksia and Eucalyptus
30cm x 30cm

This is the painting from my last reel, which was done on an old framed canvas. The painting that I went over was also of eucalyptus leaves, and I really like that the theme is continued across the layers (eucalyptus on eucalyptus on eucalyptus!).

There’s some juicy textures in this one as the original painting makes itself known underneath the new version - lots of bumps and lines and shapes - kind of like a palimpsest.

And for those who saw my story yesterday about muddling up the orientation of the frame: it’s fixed! Good ol’ Benno saved the day (again) so it now actually hangs correctly 🙈😂.

DM me for details if you like it!

‘The Eye of the Day’
50cm x 50cm

This latest floral arrangement features banksias, kangaroo paw, eucalyptus, daisies, salvias, baby’s breath, and a few invented blooms too.

While the banksias are at the heart of this painting I decided to name it in honour of the daisies, as I had a lot of fun layering the white petals with my palette knife. ‘The eye of the day’ is a line from a Geoffrey Chaucer poem that praises the cheerful, tiny daisy.

DM me if you’d like this sweet springtime explosion brightening up a corner of your home. ☺️

🍃Sold 🍃

A mostly-natives posy today: eucalyptus, golden wattle, kangaroo paw, and proteas.

🌸 Eucalyptus: purification, healing and protection.
🌸 Proteas: courage

Thinking this might be a nice “get well soon” bouquet 💐

🍃Sold🍃

The Midnight Garden
51cm x 61cm

Going for a dreamy, ethereal floral feeling here. It kind of reminds me of the perfume I wear… pretty but also a tad spicy?

There was a lot of love via my Instagram stories for this one so let me know if you’re interested in snapping it up.

The canvas is currently being framed in Tassie oak by Ben. I will post some more pictures of it when that’s done 😊.

🍃Sold🍃

💐 Palm-sized posy for big-hearted nuptials 💐

Here’s a little bunch with a love, wedding, and marriage theme. We have some special friends who have either become engaged or held their weddings over the past 18 months, and COVID means we couldn’t be there to celebrate with them. I was thinking about these good humans when I researched this bouquet.

In the posy we have:
🌸 Geraldton Wax (happiness in marriage)
🌸 Gerbera (purity and strength)
🌸 Cabbage Rose (ambassador of love; dignity; gentleness; pride)
🌸 Baker’s fern (fascination; magic; sincerity)
🌸 Ranunculus Ficara (future joy; happiness; joys to come)

🍃Sold🍃

💐 Palm-sized posies 💐

I’ve been delving into the world of floriography lately, exploring the symbology of flowers. I love the Victorian tradition of exchanging posies laden with meaning - carefully selected flowers bound together and presented as a coded message. Of course, single flowers can have multiple meanings, so the giver risks their message being lost in translation! But still, the quietness of that gesture, the shyness of it, has me hooked.

This is my first palm-sized posy. I’m exploring shape and colour in this painting, finishing off the nosegay with flecks of gold. So this particular bouquet doesn’t have any deliberate message attached, but perhaps I could do bunches with meaning - bunches to say “I love you” or “I’m sorry” or something custom. What do you think?

Two new kitchen table paintings.
Top: ‘The Memory Box’
Bottom: ‘Small Acts of the Heart’

Both are 26cm x 26cm framed in Tasmanian oak. The titles of the paintings are inscribed on the book covers in each scene.

Available. DM to enquire! ☺️

Cluttered kitchen tables in my next few pieces… I love the bustle and chaos of kitchen tables, even when it’s set for one. When I lived alone in a small apartment, my kitchen table was a bit like a mirror; it reflected my mood. If the table was empty or a mess it was usually because I felt down; if it was crowded with projects and bright coloured things - books, flowers, tea, fruit - that usually meant I felt good, upbeat. This here is a happy, excited table, bursting with life (because who wants a painting of a sad one!).

The book in this painting is called ‘Essays on Love.’

The second still life painting making its way to next week - pink tablecloth with lemons 🍋.

I fiddled around with that shadow for ages, tweaking the shapes of the flowers I was going to layer on top, and think I finally managed to get all the elements talking to each other. Happy with how these turned out and can’t wait for them to be on display at Zudis. 🤩

🌸🌸 NEW STOCKIST 🌸🌸

Over the moon to have new paintings stocked at my very first Melbourne boutique, ZUDIS-Lifestyle & Gifts in Mentone.

This is the first of the two matching still lifes making their way to Zudis next week, pending Melbourne’s lockdown lifting (🤞🏼). Working with a softer, more gentle colour palette this time - the matching painting has a pink tablecloth, yellow vase, and mauve shadow. Stay tuned to see this one next...

DM either me or Zudis if you’re interested in one of these ☺️

X

Wondering how much I can pretend those wrinkles in my makeshift drop sheet 😊 duvet cover) are deliberate and not the work of the two little buggers in the second pic 😅➡️.

New mini with a softer colour palette this time: Bottle Brush and Billy Buttons. And no I didn’t just consult the B section of my plant encyclopaedia.... that was also an accident.

So basically I’m saying absolutely nothing in this pic was intentional 😂

🌸20 x 25cm
🌸Acrylic on canvas
🌸To be framed in Tassie oak
🌸$150

💫 L O G O 💫

I wanted a little something to use on business cards and packaging for my paintings, so I got in touch with .portergreene because I love her art, her design work, and the interesting collaborative projects she’s got under way (have a look at Shoalhaven Health & Arts, for instance).

After a good ol’ chat via Skype about art, colour, personality and so forth, Bonnie went away and designed this logo for me. I love how she combined the L’s in my first and middle names, making it look like one long brush stroke.

Business cards are under way at and should be ready soon, which is exciting ☺️. So expect to see one of these wee guys in any future purchases from me - things are getting profesh over here!

💫 Uploading this before the weekend is over!

This weekend’s GT magazine features a double-page spread on my paintings, complete with photos and a very generous article by Olivia Reed. Huge thank you to Olivia for discovering my art and getting in touch for a chat: we went to Sunday Geelong and talked about creativity surrounded by the incredible makers on show at Boom Gallery, which was a totally indulgent and wonderful experience.

My favourite parts of the article are the bits that talk about Ben, who varnishes, frames, photographs, packs, transports, and installs all the pieces I make. He does so much work, and has even collaborated with a kick-ass graphic designer (.portergreene) to come up with a logo and brand colours for me — can’t wait to show you this too! Credit where credit’s due Ben: you bloody rock.

Here’s the portrait that was printed in the magazine today, and a couple of pics of the article. 🥰

🌸 Flower Arranging 🌺

Second still life in the series framed and ready for Blank Space Newtown’s upcoming exhibition, ‘Joy’, organised by Abby Sleep 💕.

I’m thinking this will be a matching set of 4 minis, with the next two depicting reading and sewing. Each painting is a view of the same table and tablecloth laid with different quiet, home-based activities: having tea, flower arranging, reading, and sewing. The topics were inspired by the second issue of Galah magazine, all about the domestic. I spend a LOT of time at home so this issue really captured me (although I don’t sew - can’t claim that as a skill. Actually I don’t do flower arranging either but heck it made a nice subject 😝).

DM me for details if you’re interested.

‘One wanted, she thought, dipping her brush deliberately, to be on a level with ordinary experience, to feel simply that's a chair, that's a table, and yet at the same time, it’s a miracle, it's an ecstasy.’
- Virginia Woolf

I’m enjoying staring endlessly at inanimate objects to make these mini still life paintings. It does feel kind of magical, the process, and then I look up and realise I’ve been eye-balling a soup spoon for two hours 😂.

This one is the first of three table setting paintings for an upcoming group exhibition and market at organised by the lovely . I’ll post more details about it soon!

Next matching mini will be all about flower arranging: secateurs, vase, twine, greenery, blooms.

🛍 New Stockist 🛍

I’ve now got some paintings in , Point Lonsdale, which is a part of 🥰.

Honoured to have some pieces stocked alongside other talented local makers.

Suzie and the team have done such a wonderful job converting a church into an artist’s hub, complete with co-working desks, studios, a performance space, and, of course, the shop. So if you’ve been hanging out to get a painting of pink bath towels or a blue kettle (😂), they’ve now got you covered!

Red River Gum
20cm x 25cm
Acrylic on canvas
Framed in Tasmanian oak by Ben

Running an Instagram giveaway for this one to celebrate a couple of recent milestones ☺️ Jump across to to enter.

++ Swapped the plants around in the studio ++

These shots star a Ruby Ficus from Plant Addicts Anonymous and a Rubber Plant from As Daisy Does, plus a wee greenie on my table that I don't know the name for...

Plant Addicts Anonymous
Asdaisydoes