Lucy Roleff
Artist and musician Lucy Roleff creates still life paintings based from the beauty she sees in the domestic realm and moments of her daily rituals such as drinking tea, a friend stopping by for a chat or jotting down words on a notepad.
Words: Holly Terry I Photography: Annika Kafcaloudis & Kim Landy
‘I’m interested in how a painting can provide a familiar anchor, or a portal for escapism to a dream world,’ says Lucy Roleff. Photo: Kim Landy
A Brief Encounter by Lucy Roleff.
Striving Upwards to Their Ideal by Lucy Roleff.
‘Lyrically, my song writing has connections to my painting themes - I enjoy going into the details of daily tasks and rituals; drinking tea, the weather, a friend stopping by for a chat, jotting down a few words on a notepad.’ Photo: Annika Kafcaloudis
Melbourne based multi-talent Lucy Roleff grew up in a musical household. With a father who was a classical tenor and big supporter of the arts, her parents encouraged any form of creativity.
Initially, her younger years were spent exploring the musical realm, (and still continues today; Lucy recently released a collaborative record with friend and musician Lehmann B Smith), but an abiding itch to draw and paint pulled the artist to explore other avenues throughout school and university.
It’s easy to draw the correlation between Lucy’s formal studies in photography (BFA) and her later work as a freelance illustrator within her paintings. For Roleff, this experience was a key stepping-stone to pursuing a career in painting and ultimately, formed many of her process she utilises today.
From a life-long fascination with colour, light and the domestic day-to-day to her formal studies and younger home life, a handful of things have shaped her as a maker. ‘I’d say curiosity, patience and dogged persistence [has shaped me to be the maker I am today],’ says Lucy.
Painting in the alla prima style (meaning wet on wet), Lucy is interested in how our psychology informs the way we view something; the way we look and perceive a familiar object.
A Libran and self-proclaimed diplomatic person, Lucy explains that she feels she can easily consider different viewpoints and is fascinated that two individuals can look at the same object and perceive them so differently.
‘Looking is never just “looking”, in that we aren’t just neutrally recording our surrounds.’
‘I always loved to draw and paint and even as a child fantasised about being an artist.’ Pictured: Special Guest by Lucy Roleff.
“[Music and painting] are both very much about the expression of my inner world, or a world I aspire too - a longing for the quiet, domestic, contemplative and I suppose romantic world.”
Dusky Gum Leaves by Lucy Roleff.
‘I would say my working with photography and drawing were key stepping-stones to eventually really pursuing painting, and that they did shape the kind of painting I am drawn to, and ultimately my process.’ Photo: Annika Kafcaloudis
‘You never really truly see anything without bringing your own personal history, your own lens to the equation. This inspires me because the compositions I arrange and settle on are more intuitive than literal. I’m recording what to my lens feels pleasing or meaningful, and then it’s always fascinating to hear how another person “looks” at this same scene, and in turn, what it means to them,’ she says.
Lucy herself is very much alive within the work; her paintings reflect her domestic daily life in that most of the objects she paints belong to her.
More romantically, though, this connection highlights her intricate interior world, a longing for balance, harmony order and beauty. ‘I suppose [within my paintings] is my dream world and what I strive for within my own psychology.’
It’s been a big few years for the artist and musician, having released a record, been a finalist in major art prizes such as the Len Fox Painting Prize and the A.M.E Bale Travelling Scholarship and Art Prize and developing a video guide and composition workshop with the NGV Gallery.
This year, Lucy’s momentum isn’t slowing down. The artist will be in a group exhibition, The Female Gaze, at MARS Gallery in March, and a solo show in Sydney, which is yet to be announced. Musically, there is talk of a second album between Lucy and Lehmann B Smith. You can keep an eye on Roleff’s world online or via Instagram.