AT THE HEART OF ISLAND LIFE
Mallorca in Brush Strokes
Artist Lucy Hawkins on the inspiration, chaos, and joy behind her vibrant new Mallorcan wildlife collection
As well as a contributor to In Mallorca Magazine, Lucy Hawkins is also a trained artist whose portrait and animal paintings have been exhibited around the world. After relocating from Australia to Mallorca two years ago, she found herself inspired to capture the Mediterranean’s rich and distinctive wildlife on canvas. Editor-in-Chief Hannah Shannon-Burke sits down with Lucy to explore the inspiration and process behind her latest collection and how she juggles her work with her family.
By Hannah Shannon-Burke
07/05/26
What sparked this new collection? Why this theme and why now?
It took me 18 months to get my paints out again after we moved here, mainly because I couldn’t find them! And also, the logistics of getting everyone settled-in kind of foiled my attempts at being creative there for a while. But pretty much as soon as we arrived I knew that I would love to paint the wildlife here. Mallorca’s beautiful sea life, plucky little mammals, and migratory birdlife… it’s so rich, we’re very lucky.
What were you feeling when you started creating these pieces?
Nervous, quite honestly. I remember someone saying there’s no painting without pain (ting), and they were quite right. When I take a break I question whether I’ll know how to do it again. And the response to my Australian collection was so wonderful and opened so many doors, the pressure to do it again weighed heavily. But I bought loads of canvases, emptied all the paints out onto the table, and just went for it.
I actually started several pieces at once, which was a first for me, it was like spinning plates. But it made it really fun! I’d sketch and slap on some first strokes for a few pieces and then come back, layering each one with paint until they were thick and delicious looking, like ice cream. Pretty quickly I was surrounded by this menagerie of creatures. The kids would race home to see whose wings or tentacles had changed colour each day!
What does a typical day look like while you’re working on a piece?
Utter mayhem because I know I’ve only got until 2.45pm until I have to pick the kids up. I have to really work hard on not panicking. Pre-kids I could paint until the wee hours if I wanted, but now if I’m up at the wee hours it’s because someone’s got an earache.
So a day starts with getting them off to school, a quick bit of exercise and then mixing paints. It’s a really enjoyable time actually, spreading, spraying, and rolling it on, and then sometimes hastily taking it off again. I even put one canvas in the bath after the kids had jumped out of it because I thought it might make for a fun swirl effect. It didn’t, just for the record, but the kids thought it was brilliant.
Time always flies when I’m painting and it’s a mad scramble to clean up before I have to make dinner or help with homework.
What part of the process do you find most challenging?
The colour palette is really important, I want them to pop and be distinctive, but they also need to be able to fit in on people’s walls and go with their furnishings. I love a really animated face so I have to use bigger canvases than I would ordinarily choose, so I can get the detail. A glint in their eye, a tuft on their chin, some personality. And I want to get the feel of their feathers or fur across, whilst still being contemporary. I’ll use whatever’s at hand for textures - the kids’ hands, husband’s toothbrush…nothing is safe.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
It’s more that I’ll know it’s not finished. It’s terrifying because when I really like what I’ve done I’m tempted to leave it there so I don’t spoil it, but you know when it’s not finished, when it needs more paint.
Which piece feels the most personal to you, and why?
The rooster because it’s the official symbol and beloved mascot of our town, he’s the gall of Pollensa! So I had to do him justice. I thought a really vibrant sunrise palette would be appropriate. I never stick to anything’s actual colours. So this guy has reds, oranges, pinks, purples, blues and greens. I think he’s very handsome. I printed the design on greeting cards and fabric and made tea towels which are now in a few shops in town. It’s the loveliest feeling to walk past your design and then find out they’ve all sold, it makes me incredibly happy.
Did any of these works come from a specific memory or experience?
My husband and I and the kids were at Playa de Formentor over winter with our crab nets – we always put them straight back into the water when we’ve caught something – and we unexpectedly pulled out an octopus! He was as surprised as we were. We let him out onto the jetty and he crawled to the edge and plopped back into the water, but for 10 magical seconds there he was, trundling past us. As soon as he entered the water he disappeared with his camouflage. It took all of us straining to spot him. They’re extraordinary, I’m bewitched by them. So I painted him on the darkest background I’ve ever used and only layered on the paint in places to make him translucent and a bit alien.
Artist Lucy Hawkins on the inspiration, chaos, and joy behind her vibrant new Mallorcan wildlife collection
As well as a contributor to In Mallorca Magazine, Lucy Hawkins is also a trained artist whose portrait and animal paintings have been exhibited around the world. After relocating from Australia to Mallorca two years ago, she found herself inspired to capture the Mediterranean’s rich and distinctive wildlife on canvas. Editor-in-Chief Hannah Shannon-Burke sits down with Lucy to explore the inspiration and process behind her latest collection and how she juggles her work with her family.
What part of the process do you find most challenging?
The colour palette is really important, I want them to pop and be distinctive, but they also need to be able to fit in on people’s walls and go with their furnishings. I love a really animated face so I have to use bigger canvases than I would ordinarily choose, so I can get the detail. A glint in their eye, a tuft on their chin, some personality. And I want to get the feel of their feathers or fur across, whilst still being contemporary. I’ll use whatever’s at hand for textures - the kids’ hands, husband’s toothbrush…nothing is safe.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
It’s more that I’ll know it’s not finished. It’s terrifying because when I really like what I’ve done I’m tempted to leave it there so I don’t spoil it, but you know when it’s not finished, when it needs more paint.
Which piece feels the most personal to you, and why?
The rooster because it’s the official symbol and beloved mascot of our town, he’s the gall of Pollensa! So I had to do him justice. I thought a really vibrant sunrise palette would be appropriate. I never stick to anything’s actual colours. So this guy has reds, oranges, pinks, purples, blues and greens. I think he’s very handsome. I printed the design on greeting cards and fabric and made tea towels which are now in a few shops in town. It’s the loveliest feeling to walk past your design and then find out they’ve all sold, it makes me incredibly happy.
Did any of these works come from a specific memory or experience?
My husband and I and the kids were at Playa de Formentor over winter with our crab nets – we always put them straight back into the water when we’ve caught something – and we unexpectedly pulled out an octopus! He was as surprised as we were. We let him out onto the jetty and he crawled to the edge and plopped back into the water, but for 10 magical seconds there he was, trundling past us. As soon as he entered the water he disappeared with his camouflage. It took all of us straining to spot him. They’re extraordinary, I’m bewitched by them. So I painted him on the darkest background I’ve ever used and only layered on the paint in places to make him translucent and a bit alien.
The photographs of the collection are beautiful, where were they shot?
Cala Deià, it had to be Cala Deià. I’ve been coming to Deià to interview artists and writers for twenty years. There’s an extra dose of magic there.
What’s next?
Back to writing, which is altogether less messy. But I’m in love with painting again. If I’ve been painting all day I literally see everything that I look at in brushstrokes, like the world is a Van Gogh painting, it’s quite surreal. When summer’s over I’m excited to start painting a woodland collection. I’ve got a lovely stag that needs some companions. I’m thinking an owl and a fox – can’t wait to do his bushy tail!
What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
I hope people instantly think of the Med and it transports them to a holiday or a happy memory. The cat always reminds me of being in the Greek islands with my aunty who was hell bent on feeding every one of them. They are of course everywhere here too, plonked on the streets in the shade. And the donkey will always make me think of my nana who had come over from Australia and wanted to open a sanctuary for them.
And you can’t go anywhere near the Tramuntana without spotting a cheeky goat. We saw one cross the road at a pedestrian crossing when we first moved here and captured it on video. I posted it on Instagram and our friends back in Australia were really baffled!
Lucy’s collection of prints and canvases is available through her website, www.lucyhawkinsart.com
Or follow her adventures at Instagram: lucyhawkinsart
The photographs of the collection are beautiful, where were they shot?
Cala Deià, it had to be Cala Deià. I’ve been coming to Deià to interview artists and writers for twenty years. There’s an extra dose of magic there.
What’s next?
Back to writing, which is altogether less messy. But I’m in love with painting again. If I’ve been painting all day I literally see everything that I look at in brushstrokes, like the world is a Van Gogh painting, it’s quite surreal. When summer’s over I’m excited to start painting a woodland collection. I’ve got a lovely stag that needs some companions. I’m thinking an owl and a fox – can’t wait to do his bushy tail!
What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
I hope people instantly think of the Med and it transports them to a holiday or a happy memory. The cat always reminds me of being in the Greek islands with my aunty who was hell bent on feeding every one of them. They are of course everywhere here too, plonked on the streets in the shade. And the donkey will always make me think of my nana who had come over from Australia and wanted to open a sanctuary for them.
And you can’t go anywhere near the Tramuntana without spotting a cheeky goat. We saw one cross the road at a pedestrian crossing when we first moved here and captured it on video. I posted it on Instagram and our friends back in Australia were really baffled!
Lucy’s collection of prints and canvases is available through her website, www.lucyhawkinsart.com
Or follow her adventures at Instagram: lucyhawkinsart