A Richmond artist – one of Yorkshire’s rising stars of the art world – has been unveiled as the official artist for the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire.
Pastel artist Lucy Pittaway is the UK Fine Art Trade Guild’s current ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’, and this is the second consecutive year she has been chosen by Welcome to Yorkshire to create a piece of art designed to capture the imagination of the people of Yorkshire, and the spirit of the race.
Last year Lucy used soft pastels, blended onto board by hand, to create an incredibly vibrant picture entitled ‘Hills, Dales and Woolly Tails’ which depicted the excitement, endurance and tenacity of the race, set against the unique Yorkshire backdrop with an eager crowd of fluffy sheep spectators, for which she has become famous.
The official picture for 2017 – currently in progress – will be a significant departure from last year’s piece whilst still paying tribute to the Yorkshire countryside and industrial townscapes that are so synonymous with the county.
The official picture will be unveiled at Welcome to Yorkshire’s Y17 event at the York Theatre Royal on Tuesday 21 March.
Between now and then, both Welcome to Yorkshire and Lucy will release a series of teasers on the Tour de Yorkshire’s social media channels which will include images and videos of Lucy creating the artwork. A competition will also be launched giving people the chance to win a copy of the official picture.
Lucy said: “Living and working in Yorkshire, I was so proud to be part of last year’s Tour de Yorkshire, and delighted to create a piece of art that so many people have used to remember such a fun and vibrant three days in our region.
“To be able to work with Welcome to Yorkshire again and create another piece that connects art lovers with the 2017 race is incredibly exciting. The pressure is on once again on to create an image that does our stunning county justice!”
Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We are thrilled to have Lucy back on board as the official artist of the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire. She really embraced the race last year and our partnership proved a huge success.
“We can’t wait to see the artwork for this year’s race as it is always vibrant, colourful and full of life, and really captures the essence of our great county.”
For more information on Lucy Pittaway’s work and wider collection, go to www.lucypittaway.co.uk or visit the Lucy Pittaway Art Gallery in Brompton-on-Swale.
