The last piece of art I recommended is… We are very lucky to have the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, their programme of curated shows has been a wonderful source of inspiration to me. Last year it was the Women Impressionists exhibition that marked the 150th anniversary of the impressionist exhibition held in Paris in 1874, that stood out for me. This show featured four important artists and the highlights were Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt’s paintings, which got my attention. I would recommend keeping an eye and ear out for their upcoming shows and in particular the Picasso: From the Studio opening running until February 2026.
I never leave the house without… My bag. I have always invested in a good bag as it’s always with me wherever I go. My bag at the moment is a Mulberry Bayswater which is large enough for all that I need: a hairbrush, dark glasses, some paracetamol, my purse, phone, a book, a notebook for sketches and the odd word I will jot down to while away the time say if I am waiting for an appointment or whatever. I could go on!
The work I still think about is… Bonnard’s Bowl of Milk which I have known and loved for years through art books, but saw it for real at the Tate Modern a good while ago. It was part of a mixed curated show so I wasn’t expecting to see it around a corner and I was so surprised and delighted. It was like meeting an old friend that you love and cherish and you haven’t seen for years and when you’re least expecting it. That feeling of love for that painting never wanes.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… It was while I was reading an article on one of the Young British Artists Gary Hume in Vogue (I think) and the artist’s block he was experiencing until he thought of himself as a ‘Picture Maker’ rather than an ‘Artist’, with all the associated historical baggage and pressure that goes with that label. It’s the best antidote to feeling intimidated by living up to being an ‘artist’.
The art that means the most to me is… I have always had a special place in my heart for Mary Cassatt’s coloured etchings that she did between 1890-91, especially The Letter, which has been a source of inspiration for me since I was a student. There is a little book of these prints published by The National Gallery, Yale University Press.
The most challenging thing about being an artist is… Self belief. It’s a bit of a roller coaster until you produce enough of a body of work to buoy up your convictions and keep you on the course to where you set off for at the outset of your career.
If I wasn’t an artist, I would be… Very grumpy and impossible to live with.
The magic of art to me is… Being able to communicate in my medium is just a wonder to me. I feel very privileged to be part of what makes up this visual world that we live in. It’s such an essential part of what makes up a human being and always has been since the first cave paintings.
Lucy Doyle’s solo exhibition runs until October 17 at The Doorway Gallery, Rathfarnham, Dublin.
