5. Lucie Jelfs
“I paint mostly on abandoned stuff that I have found, because I love the idea of a secret past hidden behind the paint”
It’s no surprise that Lucie Jelfs is artistic - she comes from a very creative family. Her father is a potter and her mother is celebrated ceramic sculptor, Jude Jelfs. Lucie grew up in a small village and her parents had their studio by the family home, so she was constantly in there as a child, making. Her brother Jack is also an artist and, until very recently, the two of them shared a studio which Lucie really enjoyed.
Lucie studied fashion design at the University of Westminster and started modelling soon after graduation. She had lots of time to kill between go-sees, so started sketching. She then started making paintings at home in her room and not long after, taught herself how to use oil paint. She has been painting with oils ever since.
“I love the stillness around me when I’m working, because it's the only time I ever get to be fully alone”.
When I asked her what’s on her mind when she paints, she said “I spend a lot of time changing radio stations and inserting CDs into my stereo when I’m working - if I’m not 'in the zone' I blame whatever it is I am listening to. I also think about what biscuits I am going to buy at the shop to have with endless cups of tea!”.
Lucie finds London-living very hectic, even in Hackney. She says a lot of her work plays on intensity and limit-pushing and thinks that is the result of living in a city.
Making paintings can sometimes be a really lonely process, Lucie finds. So when somebody buys one of her pieces, she’s happy that someone understands what has gone into it. She has such a personal involvement with each of her pieces that sometimes she finds it a strange feeling letting her work go – “it's a bit like handing over some underwear, or something!”
Like many artists and self-employed creatives, Lucie finds the erratic income one of many challenges she faces, along with juggling her studio time with parenting two young children. “Luckily I do it for the love of it and I am very grateful that I have that go-to place. I would love to have more time to paint, but being a mother means I don’t have much chance of that”
Because of the children, Lucie does a lot of her sketching in the evenings when her girls are in bed asleep, which is also when she gets most of her ideas. Colour is key in her paintings and she always considers those colours when she’s sketching in pencil. This way, when she gets into her studio, she knows what colours she wants to use even before she knows exactly what it is she’s going to paint. “I know whether or not a piece is going to work quite soon after starting it. I use my dreams and my own subconscious and I take inspiration from the repetitive or mundane elements in our lives. I paint mostly on abandoned stuff that I have found, because I love the idea of a secret past hidden behind the paint. This means that the surfaces I’m painting on are often rough and uneven, and I like responding to that as I paint”
Lucie has many ideas for future projects, but one thing she hopes to be able to do next year is a show that involves sound as well as visuals (Lucie’s partner is DJ/music producer Fracture), to create a space that feels more physically intimate than a standard exhibition of paintings.
Finally, I asked Lucie who inspires her: “I find my Mum very inspiring. We talk a lot about ideas with each other and share a similar sense of humour. One of my favourite painters is LA-based Louise Bonnet; I love the polish and perfection of her work. I also really like London visual artist Sarah Jones’s photo-based work, I find them massively inspiring every time I see them”.
Lockdown has sadly prevented me from getting into Lucie’s studio to photograph her at work, but you can can see more of her work here or find her on Instagram.