Ivy Smith

  • Faculty

Biography

Ivy Smith's work is mainly about people, but also still life and landscape, particularly the watery landscape of East Anglia. She works in oils, watercolour and print (linocut and etching), underpinned by drawing.
She studied at Chelsea and the Royal Academy Schools (RA Gold Medal, Edward Stott Travelling Scholarship). Notable public collections holding her work include the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, and the Norwich Castle Museum.
Her work is exhibited regularly in solo, group and open exhibitions. Solo shows include A Year on the Marsh, Norwich Castle Museum 2004; Drawings for Paintings, Royal Drawing School Gallery 2007; Recent Work, Mercer Chance, London 2016; Watery Places, Church Street Gallery, Saffron Walden 2017. In 2021 she was invited artist for the exhibition Past Times New Horizons celebrating 70 years of the King's Lynn Festival.
She is an elected member of the Art Workers' Guild and the Small Paintings Group. She has taught at the Royal Drawing School since 2001.

On drawing

I draw from life to gather information for my paintings. To draw from observation is to analyse, understand and empathise. You will never look so intently at anything as when you are drawing it.

Ivy Smith

Specialism

Drawing, Painting