The artist

Lucy Geldenhuys was born in Cheshire, England.

From a young age she was encouraged to pursue her creative talent as a chef and later in art.

Lucy's art is based on her own life and emotional experiences and flows from her mind. She has been painting for more than half her life.

Lucy has developed a flexible style and technique over the years which allows her to interpret commissions in a vivid and authentic manner. She is a sensual user of colour and loves the strength and vibrance that comes from large canvases. Her effect of light is highly individual.

As a graduate of L'Ecole de Cuisine Francaise Sabine de Mirbeck she completed her apprenticeship at a gastronomic Relais & Chateaux restaurant in Provence in 1989 before working in London amongst others for a Danish baron, a gregarious and famous ballet critic and writer.

Lucy's career as a Cordon Bleu chef culminated as head chef of the The Hungry Monk in Jevington, East Sussex, owned by a restauranteur, painter and sculptor and not far from the inspirational Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury set, including two of the most important and influential artists from the twentieth century - Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

The restaurant was the famed birthplace of the Banoffi pie and it received a host of awards and was repeatedly listed in the Michelin guides. It also published a series of cookbooks of which Lucy co-authored In Heaven with the Hungry Monk.

Whilst living in East Sussex Lucy started to experiment with charcoal sketches and embarked on a Life Studies course in Eastbourne following which she soon enough started working with other mediums such as pen and ink drawings, watercolours and ultimately moving on to acrylics and oil.

She first visited South Africa as a child on family holidays and in 1997 moved there having met her husband.

Inspired by her new environment and freedom away from the confines of a busy kitchen she started painting full time.

Her work soon escalated by word-of-mouth from painting for family and friends to undertaking commissions under the direction of interior designers for executive and holiday homes, offices, businesses and restaurants.

Paintings of Lucy adorn walls from Johannesburg to Cape Town, along the Garden Route and across to the famed Leopard Creek golf course adjoining the Kruger National Park.

In 2001 she returned to England where with two young daughters she only undertook a few commissions each year, again by word-of-mouth and working with a few interior designers.

In 2008 she held a private exhibition at home for her supporters over the years and since then her painting has become more prolific.

She searches for local inspiration in Cheshire landscapes mixing the dark industrial views with the stark contrast of the natural beauty and brooding skies.

People choose an artwork by Lucy to add value to their lives by commissioning a piece that will compliment the mood and feel of their beautiful homes, or as a gift for somebody special.

An artwork will also complete the décor of any office or business in a spontaneous and authentic way.

If you'd like to share your thoughts or inspiration for an artwork especially commissioned for you, you can meet Lucy in her studio at home. All you need to do is to arrange an appointment.