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Lucy Pittaway is an artist known for her unique and engaging creations. Her aim is simple: to create art that makes you smile. From her signature sheep paintings to her popular cycling collections, each piece is inspired by the everyday sights and sounds of her life.
Lucy, 51, a former graphic designer and teacher and mum of twins, has made a significant mark on the art world. She has been recognised with several awards, including UK’s Most Popular Published Artist in 2018, 2019, and 2022 by the Fine Art Trade Guild.
To mark Brands Hatch’s century of power, Kent Life magazine teamed up with Lucy to create a one-off piece of art. The cover of this issue is the result. But here we go beyond the print and chat to Lucy about her distinctive style, International Women’s Day and favourite commissions…
How did your style evolve?
I’ve developed my style over a lot of years of experimenting with different media and subject matter, working through phases of abstract, photo-realistic and illustrative styles. My approach completely changed when I had children, and I started to see things more through their eyes. Their worlds look very different to ours at a very young age. I suddenly found naïve art was what inspired me the most.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
We employ 42 women in our business, and we are passionate about our roles, the brand and the strength of our female community. It’s so important to me that women have a strong voice in business and we are heard, with our opinions, skills and ideas given the right opportunity to flourish.
What might people be surprised to know about you?
I do a lot of blending in my painting and regularly use my knuckles for this. It’s an odd process I know!
I also worked with my husband and business partner Neil, in his catering business for several years while our twins reached school age. Once they started school, I threw myself into forging a career in art, never expecting it to take off like it did.
With regards to this Kent Life creation… talk us through your process.
I always begin commissions with research, and I looked in depth at the Brands Hatch course, its spectator viewpoints, named bends, the surrounding area and anything that might make it unique, like oast houses for instance. From there, I sketched some ideas, then moved on to the main piece, creating a soft outline of the painting before the main work began.
What was the trickiest part of this collaboration?
I guess for me it’s always about managing expectations. Everyone visualises things in different ways, so there will naturally be preconceived ideas in people’s minds. I want to make sure my painting not only ticks the boxes, but it wows!
What did you discover about Brand Hatch and Kent in general that was interesting through this project?
There’s so much history to Brands Hatch and I remember as a young girl watching races at there, from our TV with my dad, and names like Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher got embedded in my memories. I recently learned that Nigel Mansell had his first Formula 1 win there in 1985. I also learned that one of the corners used to be named Dingle Dell and was considered extremely dangerous, so they reprofiled it and renamed it Sheene Curves in honour of Barry Sheene, the legendary British motorcycle racer.
What do you think it is about your art that has such appeal?
I think my art is relatable and uplifting. People see themselves in the scenes and characters I create, and they often bring back lovely memories. My art can be quirky and often makes people smile.
When it comes to commissions, what are your favourites?
One of my favourite commissions was Welcome to Yorkshire’s 2018 gold medal winning gardens designed by Mark Gregory at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. There were 595 prints of the piece, but they sold out very quickly so you can’t get them anymore.
I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose what I work on and what I don’t feel is a good fit for me, so I consider myself lucky in that I don’t need to say yes to everything.
What does 2026 have in store for you?
I’m working on some exciting collaborations as well as two new collections, one of which will be going back to some of my earlier work, but with a few twists! .
lucypittaway.co.uk
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