An architect with the Auckland-based practice Pacific Environments, Lucy worked with one of the firm’s principals Peter Eising on the Dannemora Gardens Retirement Village in Botany; as a professional photographer, she supplied 15 photographic collages for the Gardens’ Atrium, with the brief to create a sense of place for the residents.
In a similar vein, Lucy carried out the interior fit-out for the Geo-technical firm Pattle Delamore in Grafton, and to ensure the artwork for the project was relevant and meaningful, she was commissioned to take a series of photographs of the firm’s core business – various rock formations found around Auckland for the main reception area and meeting room. The result – stunning photographic artworks that related to the interior she had designed.
It’s not uncommon for architects to act as interior designers for their clients. As well as determining the exterior appearance and structure of a building, some also advise on colours, furnishings and artwork they feel will enhance and complete a project.
She happened across the possibilities of photography five years ago while studying architecture at Auckland University. For one paper, she was required to construct a cardboard panoramic pin-hole camera and take a photo with it. One of her subjects was a stairway leading to the Metropolis Hotel. When tutor and well-known architect, Pip Cheshire, saw the result he asked if he could buy the work.
Surprised, delighted, and not one to miss an opportunity, she decided to develop her newly found art further. She enrolled in another photography paper, quickly mastered the basics of film photography, and became fascinated with the different finishes and effects she could achieve using technology, her skills as a graphic artist and her understanding of design and form.
Lucy has come a long way since then and is now a NZ Master Photographer, a registered Commercial Photographer (NZIPP) and has won Creative Photographer of the Year 2007 and Still Life Photographer of the Year 2006. She is travelling to Brisbane next week to compete in the Australian Photography Awards.
And for those who think that “what you see is what you get” in a photograph, a closer look at Lucy’s work reveals there’s more to it than meets the eye. Some of her works are very complex with layers of meaning. Some panoramic murals can measure up to four metres with as many as 14 images digitally stitched together making up one completed work.
“I find that great photos are often created by having one main focal point, with other sub-focal points reinforcing it, but not competing. I like my work to have layers of meaning, to have different interpretations and not reveal everything at first glance – overall they should provide a talking point.”
As she creates different styles of photography for different markets, she also designs different buildings to suit clients’ needs and tastes, and Lucy says if she had the funds to build her own dream home now, it would be in a modern, minimalist style, using lots of timber to give this often clinical aesthetic more warmth.
“There will always be a market for ultra modern, minimal homes, but it looks as though trend-wise; domestic architecture is moving towards a more welcoming and warmer feel,” Lucy says. “There’s a softening around the edges – it seems people want to feel more nurtured by their homes.”
Lucy Gauntlett. Hanging art in the home
“Don’t be afraid to hang a large work in a room,” says architect, interior designer and photographer, Lucy Gauntlett. “Small photographs look great on small walls, but get lost on larger walls.
“For example, if you have a wall that’s 3.5m across, the work can go 70cm in from each side. The photograph might appear large in the showroom, but when you get it home, it may not appear that way.
“To show work to maximum effect, a photograph in light tones would stand out well with a dark wall behind it and a dark photograph will look more dramatic on a lighter wall.
“Consider the other colours in the room, too and complement the colours in the photographs with cushions and other accessories.”
To find out where Lucy’s work is available for purchase go to www.lucygdesign.com
A selection of her photographs will also be on display at the Home Ideas Centre on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22.
