About Mandy Lake
‘There is something about the ferocious passion with which Mandy approaches her sea paintings that tells me that it is Mandy herself who so desires to be able to encounter the magic of those waters in the paintings she makes. These are not paintings simply made to please others, to decorate their walls, to satisfy some need to produce pictures. These are paintings made for the sea, in celebration of sea, and may I even dare to say, are the product of a deep love affair between the artist and her subject – the practice of painting being more than demonstrating her considerable skills, rather being a means of capturing this capricious loved one, stealing moments encountered and fixing them forever in her soul through pigment and brush.’
– Julia Teale
Born in Surrey, UK, in 1968, Mandy Lake's artistic journey began in Johannesburg, where she spent her formative years. Her passion for painting blossomed under the guidance of André Naudé and Simon Stone. Furthering her academic pursuits, she earned a degree in history and art history from the University of Cape Town, and honed her technical skills in sculpture and illustration at the Foundation School of Art in Cape Town.
Despite a successful professional career in design, illustration, and publishing, Lake remained dedicated to her artistic exploration, delving into sculptural ceramics and painting. A pivotal moment arrived in 2009 when she joined Julia Teale’s Spencer Street Studios in Salt River. Under Teale's inspiration and encouragement, Lake's lifelong fascination with the ocean transformed into a dedicated artistic pursuit, aiming to capture its dynamic essence – its ever-changing moods, ceaseless movement, raw power, ethereal light, and serene tranquility.
Lake's artistic vision is informed by two distinct yet complementary perspectives. Firstly, she draws inspiration from Impressionism, particularly the work of Claude Monet, whose ability to capture the fleeting effects of light on the natural world resonates deeply with her. Like Monet, Lake seeks to convey the ephemeral beauty of the ocean's shifting moods and palettes, where a single moment can transition from dramatic darkness to radiant luminosity.
Secondly, Lake's approach transcends traditional seascapes. Inspired by contemporary American artist Ran Ortner, she focuses on the ocean itself, devoid of horizons, land, or sky. Ortner's large-scale depictions of surging oceans emphasize the inherent power and visceral allure of the sea, evoking the primal connection humans share with the waters that birthed them.
A key element of Lake's artistry lies in her mastery of capturing the ocean's translucent qualities. She skillfully manipulates oil paints to portray the interplay of light and depth, from the crystal clarity of sunlit shallows to the moody depths of shadowed waters. The dynamic reflections of sunrise and sunset, the scattering of light as waves break against the shore, all contribute to the kaleidoscope of color that defines her work.
Lake's dedication culminated in her first solo exhibition, "Immersion," at The Cape Gallery in April 2016. In 2017, she joined Tracey Payne at Victoria Art Studio in Woodstock, further refining her technique. Her second solo exhibition, "Sheer Water," followed at The Cape Gallery in 2018.
"I want viewers of my paintings to feel, even just briefly, a thrill, a resonance, a primeval pull that, yes, I want to be there, it feels good. I think we do all have that deep affinity and longing," Lake explains.
Working primarily in oil on canvas, Lake meticulously builds layers of transparent oil paint, reserving opaque whites for the crests of waves, to achieve a luminous depth. Her acute awareness of light and subtle shifts in hue guides her composition, allowing her to capture the ever-changing spirit of the ocean.
“We must find time to observe things … as though with our thinking we were in the things themselves. We must dive down into things, into their inner thought-activity. If we do so, we shall gradually perceive how we are entering the very life of things. We no longer have the feeling that the things are outside, and we are here in our shell, thinking of them; but we begin to feel how our thought is living and moving in the things themselves. To a man who has attained this high degree, a new world opens up.”
– Rudolf Steiner