Lucilla Jones fundraising exhibition opens tomorrow

A special fundraising art sale with works from the equine artist Lucilla Allsworth Jones will open at noon on Thursday at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates.

Three local charities will benefit from the event, the Fine Arts Association, Childline Gibraltar and The Nautilus Project.

Ms Jones studied at the Ruskin School of Fine Art Drawing, Oxford, and the Fine Arts Association said that her art “is characterised by an unusual feeling for colour and movement, which she masterfully captures across various media, including oils, watercolours, and ink.”

She has exhibited globally having held events in the USA, Mexico, Monte Carlo, as well as Spain. Her works were previously exhibited in Gibraltar in 2003 in the former Sacarello’s Cafe.

She became familiar with the subjects of her paintings, horses, having been raised in a home where horses and all aspects of them, including racing, were part of the family.

When she moved to Jimena, in Andalucia, she expanded her portfolio by watching, sketching and painting horses playing polo, as well as finding inspiration from the South of Spain’s landscape, culture and colour.

She told the Chronicle that the collection is as much a reflection of her personal history as it is a celebration of colour, movement, and the spirit of southern Spain.

“A lot of my paintings are Andalucia-based and, you know, it’s all about light, colour and movement,” she said.

“I used to go down to the fields at Sotogrande [to watch polo] and sketch in the evening. It gave me fantastic practice, because to sketch something moving so fast was amazing for my skills.”

Her reason to exhibit and hold a fundraiser is twofold. She said that [local artist] John Langdon had said that because of the economy and everything, people haven’t been buying art so much, but she still hopes that buyers will support the charities.

“I picked Gibraltar for this exhibition because you’re more likely to get bidders with money, although they probably evacuated from the heat. They could bid online, I think. And you know, they can. I’m excited about it in some way, and I hope the results are really good for the charities,” she said.

“I’m not getting anything from it except publicity. And it’s exciting in some ways and, sort of, I’m sad to see it all go, you know? You get very attached to your art and your special pictures.”

The charities benefiting from the exhibition include organisations supporting artists, children in need, and marine conservation.

“I like the thought of supporting young artists and artists in general, and also Childline is a very good charity. The Nautilus project is the other good one” she said.

The other reason to host the event is a practical one. She sold her house in Andalusia and found herself with paintings that, as she put it, “would not sell in Britain”, due to the fact that Spanish-inspired art is not as popular.

So rather than let her works stay in storage, she chose to donate them.

Her fondness for painting motion is a recurring theme.

“It’s people, it’s figures in movement,” hence, the polo they’re performing and racing.

While known for her horses and Andalucian themes, her artistic style is varied.

“I’ve never wanted to stick to one particular style. I can be very classical in my approach, or quite expressionist. And hopefully they’re all expressionist in a way, and they capture the spirit of the actual subject,” she said.

“Some of my colours are very bright. And I’ve always played with my art in the way that I’ve experimented and beg/borrowed whatever I could.”

Beyond Andalusia, her career has taken her to unexpected places, including military commissions and the world of horse racing in Ireland.

The exhibition will run for a week and finish on August 14. Bids for the painting can be made at the Fine Arts Gallery during opening times, which are Mondays to Fridays from 9am until 4pm.

For art lovers who cannot make the exhibition, it is possible to bid for pieces via the Fine Arts Association website: www.finearts.gi