lydia milford artist/illustrator
green lane
rockpool
mothecombe rocks
the saddler
wembury bay
orchid
waiting lurcher
cornish coveI live and work in Devon, and have done so for most of my life. I am a watercolourist, and also work in mixed media.
I trained in illustration at St. Martins in London, and subsequently worked as a freelance illustrator and designer. During this period, I worked as a fashion artist; designed cards and illustrated books. I also worked on botanical studies for Kew Gardens, instilling a life-long love of flower painting.
I worked from home when my family were growing, concentrating my practice on portraiture and flower studies, and staging exhibitions in London, Wales and South Devon. In 2004, I obtained a master’s degree in fine art from Plymouth University. I have work in private collections in Holland, France and the U.S.A.
The countryside of rural Devon, where I live, provides a rich and varied source of inspiration:
Living for most of my life surrounded by hedges, fields and trees, I have a relationship with the natural world that inspires and challenges my practice in many ways. My work is informed by my love of colour and line, and I like to think of it as a fluid, changing thing, constantly in a state of ‘becoming’,
in a similar way to the seasonal changes that occur in nature.