C.V
Lucy Irma Mayes
Born in Birmingham, 1991
Lives and works in London & Hampshire
Education
MFA Royal College of Art (2014-2016)
BFA The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford (2011-2014)
Foundation Degree in Fine Art, University of the Arts, London (2010-11)
Awards and Memberships
Board member, Pigments Revealed International (2021 until present)
Endangered Craft Fund Grant from Heritage Craft Association (2023)
Arts Council grant (2021)
The Professor Hering Memorial Research Fund, British Entomological and Natural History Society (2022)
Bloomberg New Contemporaries (2017)
The Sidney Perry Foundation Award (2015 & 2014)
The Gilchrist-Fisher Award, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, Finalist (2014)
The Egerton Coghill Award, First Prize, Oxford (2013)
The British Plant Gall Society & Heritage Craft Association member (2022 until present)
Teaching
Visiting lecturer/ Pigment courses
UAL, Kew Gardens, V&A,
Workshops, talks, projects & features
(Please see Previous Workshops page for complete list)
Upcoming
Sketching With Soil, Somerset House, 22nd March 2025
2024
Ochres for Ceramic Paints, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
Ochres & British Folklore, Talk as part of Colour & Poetry Symposium 2024, The Slade, UCL
An introduction to pigments workshop, via zoom for V&A Academy, as a complimentary workshop to Leo Crane's watercolour course, V&A January 14th 2024
Ochres Of Great Britain, An online course hosted by Plants and Colour, 23rd January 2024
An Introduction to London Pigment, online Zoom workshop for customers who bought items during December 2023-January 2024, 28th January 2024
Pigments from Plants, Cotesbach Educational Trust, Lutterworth, 3rd January 2024
Making Colour Pigments From Plants, two day workshop for The V&A, London, March 16th-17th 2024
Craft Festival 2024, The Heritage Craft Association, Bovey Tracey 7th-9th 2024
2023
Oak Gall inks of Kew Gardens, London December 2023
Short film on oak gall inks for Woodlands TV, produced by Tom Hartwell
Lake Pigments from Kew Gardens, one day workshop at Kew Gardens, London, December
Appeared on a feature on NYD News speaking about her work with the heritage craft of pigment making, June 21st 2023.
https://www.ntd.com/london-pigment-the-art-of-making-color_926694.html
How to make cochineal lake pigments, The Slade, UCL, May 2023
An introduction to pigments workshop, via zoom for V&A Academy, as a complimentary workshop to Leo Crane's watercolour course, V&A May 2023
Making Colour Pigments From Plants, two day workshop for The V&A, London, March 2023
Lake Pigments from Kew Gardens, one day workshop at Kew Gardens, London, 1st May, 2023
Urban Pigment Foraging, An online course hosted by Plants and Colour. Two sessions, both two hours long, 11th & 25th April 2023
London Pigment Talk, The Slade, UCL for Colour & Poetry: A Symposium IV, 21st/22nd March 2023 with contribution to publication (by the same name) produced by UCL
Created a bespoke exterior grade aluminium paint for Hannah Barry Gallery/Bold Tendencies for Richard Wentworth's site specific work Agora.
Social media manager for Non-Profit Pigments Revealed International
2022
London Pigment, online talk for Pigments Revealed International
London Pigments and the history of hair dye, workshop event for L'Oréal, Tobacco Dock, London, October 2022
An introduction to pigments workshop, via zoom for V&A Academy, as a complimentary workshop to Leo Crane's watercolour course, V&A June 2022
Colour From the Mines Presents: London Pigment Project with Lucy Mayes, Watercolour paint making with earth colours & talk about iron oxide pigments,`Six Bells, Wales. May 2022
A history of Cornelissen with artist Catalina Christensen, Featured as artist-pigment-maker in 40 minute film about the shop for the official launch of new non-profit organisation, Pigments revealed International, May 2022
Q & A's with 6 notable pigment people, Artist talk via Zoom For nonprofit organisation Pigments Revealed International, March 2022
Grit, Artist talk via zoom, Colour & Poetry: A Symposium 2022, The Slade, UCL, March 2022
Traditional Inks & Calligraphy techniques, Instagram Live with Paul Antonio, L.Cornelissen & Son, February 2022
London Pigment, artist talk and paint making workshop, The Slade, UCL, February 2022
An Introduction To Pigments & Historical Makeup Recipes With Lisa Eldridge at her store in Covent Garden, December 2022
London Pigment Talk, The Slade, UCL for Colour & Poetry: A Symposium III, 21st/22nd March 2022 with contribution to publication (by the same name) produced by UCL
2021
Cornelissen Pigment Archive, short film for Pigments revealed Symposium 2021
How to paint the Mona Lisa, featured teaching artist Adebanji Alade how to make pigment and paint for BBC documentary, September 2021
Pigments & Sustainability, talk via Clubhouse, for Cosmetics designer David Horne
2020
London Pigment, Reflective paint making workshop, Tate Britain as a part of their well being series, 2020
Russian Colour Theory & Paint Making with Lucy Mayes, Pushkin House, February 2020
Related Previous Experience
Pigment Consultant and historical art materials researcher at L.Cornelissen & Son (2018-2022)
Activities coordinator and art teacher at Dementia Centre, Blatchington Hill, Seaford (2016-17)
Artist assistant for Christopher Stone, The Lost Artist, Ibiza (2018)
Installation assistant for Richard Wentworth's Agora, IAM Studios (2015- present)
Private tutor for painting and drawing techniques (2018- present)
Exhibitions, Residencies and prizes
2024
Wasteless II, Curated by Zoe Hodgson, University of East London April 2024
2022
The Amber Room by Rosie Reed, group show and event, exhibition of artworks and pigments, London, November 2022
Colour/Pigment/Poetry, online exhibition to accompany Colour & Poetry: A Symposium IV is now online, curated by Stephanie Nebbia, April 2022
2021
On Colour Featured Artist, Falmouth University Instagram account, August 2021
2020
Featured artist on two front covers of risograph poetry pamphlet for Rob Kiely's work printed by Earthbound Press January 2020
Tate Shops Online, Instagram artist takeover for one week, April 2020
2019
Creekside Open, group show at APT Gallery, London, July 2019
Love, Life & Labour, group show at Brixton Beneficiary, July 2019
2018
Deptford Fringe Festival 2018, Open-ended Questioning, Group exhibition with six painters, The Interview Room, The Old Police Station, SE14 6LG.
Bainbridge Open 2018 at ASC Gallery, Elephant and Castle, London, June 2018
2017
Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2017 at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead and BALTIC 39, November 2017
Bloomberg New Contemporaries at Block 336, Brixton, London, from 27th January - 8th March
Shortlisted for The Sainsbury Award at The British School of Rome and RA Summer Show
Pentimenti II, solo exhibition at St. Peter’s and St. Andrews Bishopstone East Sussex
2016
Residency at NN Contemporary as part of collective Escapade
Sportcafe73, solo exhibition at Arebyte2, London
Sportcafe73 Residency program, travelling European Residency (France, Italy, Switzerland, Monaco), Summer 2016
Royal College of Art Degree Show
‘Robbie ‘16,’ Performance of Robbie Williams number ones, sung on repeat live during opening hours of Degree Show exhibition.
Sport Cafe Inaugural opening, The Sackler Building, Royal College of Art Battersea
2015
Painting Scholarship, Royal College of Art
Shades of Yellow, group show at The Embassy Tea Gallery, London
La Muta in the Third Millennium, group show, Raphael’s House, Urbino, Italy
RCA secret Postcard exhibition, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art
Work In Progress Show, Royal College of Art, Battersea Campus
RCA secret Postcard exhibition, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art
2014
Pentimenti, permanent exhibition of a series of paintings commissioned for a newly built HQ for publishing House, Hogreffe
The Clyde & Co Blank Canvas Prize, Shortlisted
The Gilchrist-Fisher Award, at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, Finalist
Degree Show, The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford
Pentimenti I, solo show of oil paintings at Dolphin Gallery Oxford
An exhibition, group show at Oxford University Press
2013
Scotch Egg, show with Rosie McBurney at Dolphin Gallery, St John’s College, The University of Oxford
Laurien’s Basement, group show at Magdalen College, The University of Oxford