Graduate Artist Opportunity: The Crinan Residency 2025

The following is a transcript of a recorded conversation with Lucy during her residency at Crinan.

Please could you introduce yourself?

My name is Lucy Springall, I recently finished a fine art degree at City & Guilds of London Art School. After my degree, there was a competition to apply with the Mall Galleries and Crinan Hotel to come here for an art residency, and I was really pleased that I was awarded the residency. I got some money to travel up (to Crinan), and some Michael Harding art materials too as part of the residency.

So what kind of art is it that you produce?

I applied with work from my degree show. I am really interested in the subject matter, so I'm really interested in our relationship with nature; my first career was a geologist, and I worked as a geologist for 15 years so for me I am very immersed in nature, everything comes from nature and I see nature as much bigger than us. The natural world is much bigger and more important than us. With all the problems we are having at the moment with climate emergency, I really wanted to make some work that looked at how we connect with nature. Initially I was looking at the disconnect, dystopias and possible futures, but then I read a book by Robin Kimmerer called 'Braiding Sweetgrass'. It really brought forward connections with nature, so now my work very much looks for moments of connection with the natural world, particularly through the different senses. There are a lot of hands and feet in my pictures, touching something natural.

It's been amazing here, there is so much to see. Obviously the rocks and beautiful nature with the islands in the distance, the sea and the lochs but there is also the Crinan Woods. A lot of my work from my degree show was based in the Wistman's Woods in Dartmoor, which is one of these temperate rainforest locations, they are so lush and thrumming with life. They are also historically and culturally important sites; where the druids are believed to have held their ceremonies. A lot of this area was originally covered in woodland so our ancestors would have grown up with these woodlands around them, particularly on the West coast of England. Here (in Crinan) I discovered about Kilmartin Glen and the prehistoric monuments, the standing stones and the rock art. It's amazing.

Have you been connecting a lot with a Pagan way of living? 

Yes, very much so. I think because a lot of it wasn't written down, there is a lot of trying to interpret through the artefacts left behind, like the standing stones and the rock art, but also folk tales as well and legends and myths. Because there is so little known there is a lot of space for interpretation and mystery and magic. 

What mediums do you usually work in?

I work in oil paint for final pieces, in terms of how I get there it is really quite varied. I like to play with different materials - I do use a lot of watercolour because it is so immediate, and you can get really lovely effects with how much water you use. There is an element of loss of control with watercolours which I like as well. You are letting the pigments and water and nature do its own thing. I take quite a lot of photographs, and also use historical sources, paintings and folktales and things - sometimes I'll use my iPad to collage some of those things. 

Here are some of Kate’s tips for submitting to the Crinan residency! 

• Submit well-lit, good quality photos of your work. Either close-ups or shown in space - and link them to your artist statement and proposed residency plans.
• Clearly outline how this residency will benefit your practice and what you hope to do during your time in Crinan.
• Tell us why this particular residency interests you and how it connects to your work.

What is the Crinan Residency?

• A week-long residency in Crinan, a beautiful fishing village situated on the remote west coast of Scotland.
• The artist will stay in the award-winning Crinan Hotel.
• A large studio space will be available at the Annex Art Centre, just 20 yards from the hotel.
• The selected resident will receive art materials from Michael Harding to the value of £500.
• A stipend of £500 will be given to the resident towards travel and other expenses.
• The resident will be invited to exhibit a work of art created during or after the residency at the Kiosk in London. 
• The resident will be interviewed and featured on the Mall Galleries website and Instagram (@mallgalleries)

For more information about the Crinan Residency and how to apply, click here.