Lucia French was born in London in 1994.
She attained a BA in Drawing at Falmouth University in 2017.
Her practice focuses on the natural world combining different ecotones to create utopian landscapes. Through the mediums of print and drawing she replicates specimens which are drawn directly from taxidermy and plants.
My practice investigates forms found in natural history and botanical collections with a particular focus on combining and experimenting with different animal, mineral and aquatic ecotones. An ecotone is a region of transition between two biological communities.
My recent work was developed from observational studies of collections including taxidermy and plants from museums and charity shops. I am particularly drawn to the peculiarities in nature which led to my rich narrative compositions. Marguerite Humeau’s exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey, London titled “Meys” is a key influence in my work. Exploring the implications of a utopian future, her sculptural work focuses on inventing worlds that haven’t existed yet. Similarly my work encapsulates an ‘Alice in Wonderland perspective’ where unlikely examples of juxtaposition are revealed.
These prints and fineliner drawings are a celebration of the unruly way in which ecosystems evolve and survive. They seem to have a delicate chaos such as tangled thickets and spongy maritime seabeds. Developing from my botanical series I am currently working with etching, applying colour a la poupée. The technique of hard ground etching allows a direct relationship with the subject, and resonates with the traditions of natural history illustration. I feel that drawing on a smoked ground elevates the drawing into a more permanent sculptural piece. This method of mark making involves a substantial amount of unpredictability and in this way mirrors nature. The scraping against the smooth hardground on metal feels like an investigation: my own archeological dig. Accentuated with luminous shades of bright colours, my prints are in sharp contrast to the more historical subdued tones of traditional zoological illustrations. In making then, I hoped to convey a surreal landscape, a place for the imagination and unconscious thought to collide.
