I caught up with the artist Lucy Kent on the art charity she set up in Lockdown. Lucy started the Art for Charity Collective to help small charities whose normal avenue for funding had been closed down.

This month the ACC will hold their third auction on Instagram and will be raising money in aid of the mental health organisation, A Space Between. It is a brilliant positive way of making something good come from everything the last year has thrown at us. 

 

I founded ACC last June. I started running auctions for my local hospice on my own Instagram page, and asked other artists to join who wanted to help in a similar way. The idea really took off and so far we have raised 45k with 100 artists worldwide.

The next Art Charity Collective auction will take place 22nd- 26th March in aid of the Mental Health organisation A Space Between. 

You are a plein air painter, what does that mean? 

It’s a fancy way of saying ‘painting outdoors’. I paint predominantly from life, and travel wherever possible (or not possible for the last year!) and make larger paintings in the studio. 

I love dramatic lights and skies, particularly sunrises and sunsets. The sky between rain is another favourite, as sometimes the most amazing bursts of light happen before or after the downpours.

I’d love to say Frame jeans and a beautiful top - but in reality it is much more casual and with a lot of layers to keep me warm. It really isn’t very glamorous, but I am about the messiest artist I think anyone would ever meet. 

What are  you looking forward to the most post June 21st?  

SO much. Sitting in a pub garden, sipping on cocktails with best girlfriends talking rubbish and laughing, it’s been such an alien thing not having that point of contact. I loved wearing a nice frock and putting on some make up for this shoot and it made me realise how much I miss doing that socially.

I loved the Summer Ruffle dress. I’m quite tall so I love anything ankle grazing, and always wear converse high tops with dresses. It has the perfect amount of ruffles, such a lovely print and very swooshy and feminine. 
 

You can view Lucy's artwork on her website

You can see the pieces for sale in this months Art for Charity Collection here on their Instagram page @artforcharitycollective 

 

 All photography by Abbie Roden