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Her studio also often features two Quaker parrots called Monet and Rembrandt with videos of their exploits on her website – www.bylulu.com.au.
Lulu’s passion is traditional oil painting using quality paint, Belgian linen, gessoed boards and spike lavender oil and cleaner.
While she paints still life, landscapes and figurative themes she is particularly passionate about portraits.
Many of her early self-taught portrait commissions are in collections in New Zealand and Europe. That includes the study of a woman and her Cavoodle dog, Jack, titled “Friends Together”.
More recently, Lulu painted a portrait of the late Jeff Williams, who was the President of the historic 50-year-old Mornington Peninsula Painting and Drawing Group Inc. The painting was a finalist in the 2023 John Dudley Portrait Prize. As well as painting the portrait, Lulu helped save his group from folding last year along with Annie and Ges Hogg (now the Treasurer). The life drawing group has historic beginnings with the formation of the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery and continues to meet Tuesday mornings and afternoons at the Currawong Hall in Mornington for short and long poses. All welcome.
Another historic 50-year-old group that Lulu helped reinvigorate is the Australian Guild of Realist Artists which was started by Kenneth Jack, Sir William Dargie, Kath Ballard and others.
This group will now go nation-wide, thanks to artists in each state who kindly agreed to support this historic and iconic organization, which will soon be accepting new memberships.
Her most recent portrait was of 95-year-old scientist and animal hair expert Hans Brunner who helped exonerate Lindy Chamberlain. The portrait was painted an hour a day in his office complete with microscope. The painting was an opportunity for Hans to reunite with Lindy Chamberlain after 35 years recently. He said the painting experience allowed him to heal from the past and was “a full stop” on that part of his life.
Lulu can often be seen at beaches along the Peninsula – particularly Gunnamatta, Point Leo, Merricks, Shoreham, Frankston and Seaford painting plein air with many of those scenes reflected in her work.
Although Lulu was given a tantalizing taste of oil painting when young, she wasn’t able to pursue it until years later.
At the age of 11, after her father Peter John Clifton died while she was living in Fiji, Lulu was given a green Cadbury chocolate box filled with brushes, oil paint and a rag by her father’s sister (Joan Caldwell). While she finished two paintings it was not till years later that life allowed an opportunity for her to pursue that passion.
Largely self taught, Lulu studied art practice with Colin Johnson for many years, before being later mentored by members of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, including Bill Caldwell (who has now retired from the Society), Fiona Bilbrough and Lee Machelak.
Her work is currently held in collections in Paris, Brittany, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia. She is a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, Peninsula Studio Trail and McClelland Guild of Artists Inc.
Five of her paintings will be in the Bayside Art Show from 23 November 2023.
Her studio will be open by appointment on 18 November 2023.
Her most recent accomplishments in the arts include:
2023 Victorian Artists Society Maritime Exhibition and Thomas Somerscales Trophy
2023 Victorian Artists Society Curator Award for Best Painting Summer Exhibition
2023 John Dudley Portrait Prize Finalist and in its travelling exhibition
2022 Oak Hill Gallery Annual Exhibition winner
2022 AME Bale Award Finalist.
Lulu Clifton-Evans
November 2023
www.bylulu.com.au.
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