Lucinda's Art Story

My Story

Lucindas Studio | Lucinda Leveille Art | Art clsses gold coast
The hallowed halls of the National Art School, Sydney

I can’t remember a time that I didn’t want to be an artist just like my Dad, he went to NAS too, but then it was called East Sydney Tech. I was lucky enough to be accepted  at 15, and spent the next 5 years learning and immersing myself in the art world.  When I graduated, I moved with the family to the Gold Coast.  I had been exhibiting in Sydney and thought to do the same on the Coast, so I presented my work to a gallery , I had a devastating interview with the owner, who told me I had no talent and to find another career, I simply gave away my dreams.  After this I wandered from one unrewarding  job to another, I met my husband and had a wonderful son but there was something missing in my life, much later and with a great deal of support and encouragement I decided to venture into the art world again, this time being tougher, older and wiser and with added determination I began to work again.

Now – I’m a dedicated cloud watcher, addicted to buying art materials and am fascinated by watching paint dry.  I paint every day, you will find me in the studio most days from about 5am until it’s time for wine o’clock – about 5pm.

I’m determined to make up for that lost painting time, so I work hard every day and am quite prolific in my output. A friend once said to me “too many paintings, not enough time” – never truer words!

My watercolours are bright and happy and you can see how much I enjoy playing and experimenting with colour and paint while the oil pieces are more introspective and quite  personal, exploring fundamental truths about ourselves, our world and the relationship between the two. Humans are so very complex – so many different aspects make up our personalities, surely this should show in your artwork?

My favourite subjects to paint are clouds and trees and the bigger the better!  Large landscapes with wonderful dramatic clouds and strong horizon lines.  When I paint in oils I use many of the techniques of the Old Masters, the pieces aren’t necessarily  planned but do take time to complete, the process is slower and needs to be painted in layers, a meditative process. I have recently been exploring  ‘solitary and quietness’ with oils using a single tree beneath a vast sky to express that feeling.  The work moved into ‘The Road Series’ . These pieces are an emotional response to the Covid times and how this altered our paths, we are all on a journey and each journey is individual, but I believe many are taking a different path to what we planned, our world has certainly changed. Lately I have been moving back to the serene and solitary as we return to a more structured way of life. My most recent work I have named “Above the Canopy” which are slightly abstract trees as they reach for the sky.

I enjoy experimenting with water media: inks and watercolours are my favourites, exploring and pushing the mediums. Mark making, drawing and abstract shapes become a large part of working this way, reacting to the scene with no fixed idea of the outcome. They don’t all work of course, but the process is so much fun!

But if you are reading this I hope you are interested my work, if you have questions,  please get in touch – I am happy to send any information about my process and the inspiration behind the piece. 

Over the years I have exhibited widely, including a number of solo exhibitions on the Gold Coast and in Melbourne. My artworks are held in private collections in England, Spain and America. In Australia  works can be found in Parliament House, Canberra; The Treasury, Canberra; Gold Coast Council Public Library and the Gold Coast Marine Rescue to name a few. Recently thanks to Art Lovers two of my pieces were shown in the Netflix movie True Spirit.

I am also represented by the following online galleries and am affiliated  with Mobile Framing who not only frame my work but also offer a personal hanging service 

         Art Lovers Australia / Lucindas Studio  Mobile framing / Lucindas Studio

 

Selected Collections & Commissions

2024 Private Collection, Gold Coast

2020 Parliament House Rooms 

2020 The Treasury, Canberra

2014 Gold Coast Volunteer Coast Guard

2004/7 Gold Coast Italo Australian Club

2013 Gold Coast City Council, Nerang Library

2012 Nerang Chamber of Commerce

2001 Private collection, Gladstone, Queensland

2000 Private collection, Rockhampton, Queensland

1999 Private collection, London

1998 Private collection, Spain

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024 Land And Sea, Stevens Street Gallery, Yandina, Featured Artist

2024 Art Lovers Australia, Biophilic, Collingwoood Gallery, Melbourne

2023/4 Art Lovers Australia, Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne, “Smalls”

2023 Art Lovers Australia, Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne, “Land Sea Sky”

2023 Art Lovers Australia, Southport Gallery, Collectors Edition Exhibition

2022 Art Lovers Australia, Southport Gallery, Bold Exhibition

2022 Art Lovers Australia, Southport Gallery, Collectors Edition Exhibition

2021 Art Lovers Australia Southport Gallery, Renewal landscape exhibition

2021 The Space Gallery, Summer Vibes Exhibition

2018 The Morris Art Prize

2018 Artlovers Australia Prize

2018 Lethbridge Small Scale Award

2018 Coast To Country – 10 Women Artists

2010 /22 The Doyles Art Awards

2008 The Mortimore Art Prize and Traveling Exhibition

2002 Society of Sculptors Gold Coast,2

Bibliography​

2021-24 Art Lovers Australia Collectors Book

2023/4 Art Edit magazine, #38 In Series feature

2023 Spotlight magazine, Issue 35

2021 Home Design Magazine, November Two page article

2019 Home Design Magazine, September, Artscape section

2018 Home Design Magazine, November full page feature

2018 Artlovers Australia Book, page 6

2018 Art Edit Magazine, Summer Edition issue 16, p 69 and 108

2018 Artsy Shark Autumn, feature artist

2007 Women In Focus Magazine, August feature p39

2006 This Month on the Broadwater, July feature p5

2003 Gold Coast Sun Newspaper, January feature article p10

Selected Awards​

2022 Art Lovers Australia, finalist

2021 Bluethumb Art Prize, finalist, sculpture

2021 Art Lovers Australia Prize, finalist

2019 Heritage Bank, Lions Club, Highly Commended

2018 Morris Art Prize, finalist

2018 Artlovers Australia Prize, finalist

2018 Lethbridge Small Scale Award, finalist

2013 d’arcy Doyle Art Awards, Highly commended

2002/5 Sculptors Society, various awards

1998/2015 Gold Coast Show Society, various awards

Residencies & Highlights​

2024 Bluethumb – Rising Stars

2024 Art Lovers Austalia – Artist to watch 2024

2023 Artwork chosen for the Netflix movie – True Spirit

2022 Artsy Shark, Featured Artist

2022 Art Lovers Australia, – Trusted Sellers

2021 Art Lovers Australia – Top 20 Sellers

2018 Art Lovers Australia – popular artist

2018 Bluethumb On Line –  feature/studio artist

2016 Gold Coast City Council Artist showcase

Solo Exhibitions

2023 Above The Canopy- Mist Gallery – Cabarita Beach

2012 The Nudes – Pauline Evers Fine Art, Toorak VIC

2010 New Works – Pauline Ewers Fine Art, Toorak VIC

2006 Pushing the Boundaries – Bruce Watling Galleries, Southport QLD

gallery opening with celebrities | Bruce Watling | Lucidna Leveille | Lucinda Leveille Art \ Gold Coast artist