Lucy Doyle’s paintings are vibrant, often containing an unlikely mix of objects and people, yet they work. Her home in the Wicklow hills has similar qualities – lots of colour and interesting pieces, and the overall effect is one of warmth and welcome
Artist Lucy Doyle in the sunroom of her bungalow in Co Wicklow. The sunroom, which runs the length of the house, was added eight years after she and her husband Nick Gray built the house in 1991. Photo: Tony Gavin
Artists are drawn to certain subjects, and flowers – with their striking petal formations, their different textures and bright colours – are a constant source of inspiration. It’s certainly the case for Wicklow artist Lucy Doyle. Monet had his lilies, Van Gogh his sunflowers and Lucy has her dahlias.
Part of the large garden attached to her home, which her husband Nick Gray tends, is given over to flowers which are specially for cutting and using in her still lifes. She has lupins and phlox, daisies and poppies, tulips and roses, and she uses them all in her work. But dahlias are particular favourites and at this time of year she has an abundance of them.