Lucy O’Donovan is a figurative artist whose work explores the emotional tension between vulnerability and strength.

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She paints people.

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She paints the human form.

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She paints vulnerability.

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She paints moments in time.

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She is fascinated by the intimacy and quiet psychological drama that the human form takes. She expresses this in the rawness and tension within the tactile parts of the body: muscle, tendon, fat, skin. She wants to communicate a person’s feelings in a suspended private moment, by sculpting the paint to convey their inner feelings in a tactile way.

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Her desire is to communicate usually hidden emotion and show the human feelings that exist, yet are usually masked by people. Her work is rooted in an attempt to explore her own emotions; by revealing the sentiments and vulnerability of the human forms at her easel.

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Having studied anatomy as a student, she uses paint to sculpt and contour the contrasting layers of the body. For her, it is important to manifest the human form in as honest and authentic way as possible, irrespective of whether it would be considered classically beautiful or not. This motivation is a kick back against the social pressure of achieving the perfect figure.

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She would like the viewer to realise and reflect on the emotions they see in the people in her work, and use it to reflect on their own persona. To compare the degree to which they show themselves outwardly, in comparison to their inward emotional psyche which they choose to keep hidden from the outside world.

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