‘Eventually man, too, found his way back to the sea. Standing on its shores, he must have looked out upon it with wonder and curiosity, compounded with an unconscious recognition of his lineage.’
Rachel Carson The Sea Around Us
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by the ocean. Growing up on the storm-swept coast of North Devon, with its dramatic cliffs and wave-cut platforms adorned with centuries of shipwrecks, surfing became a defining passion in my life. It has since taken me on a journey of discovery and exploration across the world’s oceans.
As an artist, my aim is to express the sense of wonder, freedom, and joy that the sea instils in me. I strive to capture the fleeting, transcendent moments of beauty that I experience and the emotions they evoke. To achieve this, my creative process involves distilling these elements to their essence. I work from memory, drawing on my observations of the sea’s ever-changing moods and the interplay of light above and upon its surface.
When painting, I choose to work on a flat surface, allowing me to employ large, sweeping, expansive movements and application of strong downward pressure to boldly manipulate the oil paint on the surface. I use a variety of flexible tools and graduate through brushes of increasing softness as the painting progresses – the approach becoming ever more delicate as the painting nears completion. In my view, a successful painting achieves a harmonious balance between dramatic energy and a serene, ethereal presence, evoking a sense of space, time, and distance. It is this interplay of contrasts that continues to captivate me. The resulting artworks are emotionally evocative, inviting viewers to embark on their own fresh interpretations and discoveries.
Curriculum Vitae
Ben Lucas is a painter who is interested in conveying emotions evoked by the natural landscape.
Ben has a strong family background in the arts. He is the brother of the portrait painter Fanny Rush and the sculptor Joe Rush, founder of the Mutoid Waste Company. He is also the Grandson of the author Mary Norton best known for the children’s classic ‘The Borrowers’. His Grandfather Colin Lucas was a pioneering modernist architect and painter who received an OBE for his work. Colin was a member of ‘Unit One’ the British grouping of Modernist artists founded by Paul Nash.
After returning from Australia in 2022 Ben is currently painting in his new studio on the North Devon Coast in the UK where he will work alongside his wife – the highly regarded studio potter Elke Lucas.
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Under the Same Sky – Sydney Road Gallery, Sydney
2021 La Niña Blues – Sydney Road Gallery, Sydney
2020 Under Moving Skies – The Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2019 Look Back in Wonder – The Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2018 An Infinite Mirror – Stevens Street Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2018 All Available Light – The Gallery – Sunshine Coast
Duo Exhibitions
2017 Stories from Sea and Land – Left Bank Gallery – Gold Coast
Group Exhibitions
2019 The 4 Amigos Red Hill gallery – Brisbane
2018 Sea Change – The Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2017 Lost and Found – Stevens Street Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2017 Q1 Art Wall Exhibition – Kit and Ace – Brisbane
2016 Q4 Art Wall Exhibition Kit and Ace – Brisbane
2013 A Taste of Art – Noosa Regional Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2012 Alan Reading Memorial Art Awards – Sunshine Coast
2009 Face to Face – COCA – Christchurch, NZ
Awards
2021 Caloundra Regional Gallery – LCLA – Winner – Peoples Choice Award
2021 Caloundra Regional Gallery – LCLA – Finalist
2020 Caloundra Regional Gallery – LCLA – Finalist
2018 Caloundra Regional Art Prize Finalist
2012 Alan Reading Memorial Art Prize: Winner – Contemporary Painting
Gallery Representation
Sydney Road Gallery, Sydney
Thom Gallery, Byron Bay
Nissarana Galleries, Noosa
Red Hill Gallery, Brisbane
Misc.
Jacket cover: Two Journeys Published by Grosvenor House Publishing Limited 2016
Jacket cover: Handbook of the Development of Children’s Memory Published by Bauer/Wiley-Blackwell 2013
Private Collections
Works held in private collections and financial institutions in Canada, the United States, Germany, the UK, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
