Ben Lucas

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the sea. Growing up on the storm-swept coast on the North Devon/Cornish border surfing became a defining passion in my life. It has since taken me on a journey of discovery and exploration across the world’s oceans. As an artist, my desire is to express the sense of awe, wonder and joy that the ocean gives me.

I work from memory, drawing on my observation of the sea’s ever-changing moods and the interplay of light above and upon its surface. My creative process involves a distillation of these elements to their essence as I aim to capture the fleeting, transcendent moments of beauty that I experience and the emotions they evoke.

When painting, I work on a flat surface, allowing me to employ large, sweeping, expansive movements and application of strong downward pressure to move the paint on the surface. I use a variety of flexible tools and graduate into brushes as the painting progresses. In my view, a successful painting achieves a harmonious balance between dramatic energy and a serene, ethereal presence, evoking a sense of space, time and distance. It is this interplay of contrasts that continues to captivate me. The resulting artworks are emotionally evocative, inviting viewers to embark on their own fresh interpretations and discoveries.

‘Eventually man, too, found his way back to the sea. Standing on its shores, he must have looked out upon it with wonder and curiosity, compounded with an unconscious recognition of his lineage.’

Rachel Carson The Sea Around Us