THIS week we chat with Flora Hill illustrator and painter Lucrecia Lane, who has recently returned to her practice after a 20-year hiatus while working in other fields and raising a family.<\/p>\n
What motivated you to take up drawing and painting?<\/strong><\/p>\n Art has always been a part of me, even during a 20-year hiatus while working in other fields and raising a family.<\/p>\n Two years ago, I found a way back through life drawing sessions with my amazing and patient friend Sarah Hansford.<\/p>\n She reminded me over several years of gentle persuasion that I didn’t have to be anything other than myself drawing and painting again.<\/p>\n Returning to art wasn\u2019t just about picking up a pencil again; it was about reclaiming a part of myself.<\/p>\n How would you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n My style is rooted in exploration and intuition.<\/p>\n I\u2019m fascinated by the expressive power of shape, angle and curve – especially in the human figure – and how those same elements echo in the structures we create around us.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a tension I\u2019m always chasing between abstraction and familiarity, between what we recognise and what we feel.<\/p>\n Which artists inspire you?<\/strong><\/p>\n I’m inspired by the artists I’ve met through local life drawing groups – from Jane Ineson\u2019s group where I started to the current Bendigo Artists Incorporated Go Figure Group.<\/p>\n I also draw inspiration from a wide range of artists, from the technical skills of the old masters to the emotionally evocative work of Susan Seddon Boulet, the luminous architectural watercolours of Thomas Schaller, and the striking, expressive styles of contemporary artists like Yuto Otsuki and Polina Bright.<\/p>\n Have you had any mentors over your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n While I haven\u2019t had formal mentors in a traditional sense, I\u2019ve been lucky to reconnect with creativity through Sarah.<\/p>\n Her expressive style has always captured my interest and her transition to graduating watercolours is truly beautiful.<\/p>\n Beyond that, Shaun Clarke and Lyn Raymer (from Go Figure) both shared valuable skills and experience that have benefited me immensely in refining my creative methods.<\/p>\n My mentors are more often, bodies, moments, and mistakes – all of which continue to teach me in the moments I\u2019m creating.<\/p>\n What are some highlights you have from your time as an artist so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n A highlight has been simply returning to art.<\/p>\n There’s a moment when something magical happens – there’s no hesitation, everything flows without fear or perfectionism.<\/p>\n What happens instead is the capturing of the moment – the curves and angles become feelings on the paper, flowing together.<\/p>\n