Lucy Toop studied in the South of England including; London Chelsea LSA, Farnham Surrey and completed an MA in Sculpture at Winchester School of Art.
She lived and exhibited landscape painting in Cornwall for a number of years, then married and moved to Italy where she practices art from her studio at home.
There are different aspects and approaches Lucy is involved in as well as the more formal portraiture drawings and paintings. Her work includes:
Painting dancing in motion from ballerinas to her own gestures. It became the way into semantic painting. Then during covid Frequent online meetings and collaborative work; starting with online 5 rhythm dances, she soon began to paint during the sessions, also she was working with groups of women from Cornwall, UK who meet to share art making together. Recently 2022/23 working with an art school friend called Morag Donnelly who has created a wonderful creative meditative experience called ‘Lifesensing’ (amongst other drawing/life drawing/ movement classes Morag has developed over 25 years from the same school of thought as Cecil Collins mentor Murial Hoare ‘Drawn Home’ which Lucy frequented at art school).
During ‘lockdown’ Lucy made about 30 portraits over about a two month period for a show in Sansepolcro which developed from self portraits, a simple quick turn around Portraiture project. But portraits can take a lot longer and be more extensively worked on from start to finish as commissioned pieces. Lucy is looking forward to some commissioned portraits, but has painted some notable people in the past.
Since then Lucy has shown in various venues in Umbria, and sold privately. Also Lucy frequently opens her home to groups of people wanting to experience different aspects of art, either lessons and/or reciprocal projects.
Lucy is an experienced teacher and has run art courses, in colleges and institutions in UK and now from home and exhibits in Umbria Italy.
Lucy is happy for visits by appointment. Artwork is always for sale.
Email Lucywillow27@hotmail.com