Lydia Makin graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the Slade in 2020. Her painting, The Hush of your Breath, was selected as one of the inaugural UCL East Provost Art Prize winners in 2020. 

Practice

“I have always been drawn to large painting, and this sense of being fully immersed in the power it can generate. To work on a large scale requires you to confront the canvas, transcend it, and take ownership of what you are doing. It demands great force and strength from within. I have always loved gesture and the impulsivity of making a mark. I find the dialogue which occurs between the body and canvas fascinating.”

Artwork

“The Hush of your Breath was made purely from impulse. There was a physicality to making this work which felt quite exhilarating. I am interested in light, mood and the ambiance a work can generate. To me the painting alludes some higher dimensional apparition. I enjoy artworks which elevate the spirit. There is a flow to the painting, like running water or the unveiling of silk. There is a transparency and depth which coheres to space and time.”

Future Plans

“With regard to my next steps, once Covid-19 restrictions are eased, I will be going to Florida to produce a body of work for a show.”

Lydia Makin

Website: www.lydiamakin.com