Honey de Lacey - Portrait Artist
Portrait and Landscape Artist

About Honey de Lacey

Honey de Lacey studied fine art at Les Beaux Arts in Paris and obtained her degree from the London Art School, St. Martins.

Whilst at Les Beaux Arts, she was given her first commission, which was to paint murals on the walls of a Vietnamese restaurant in the centre of Paris.

On leaving Art School, she worked in several advertising agencies, in the creative department. One of her memorable achievements was drawing the original clock for the 'After Eight' chocolate mints.

Honey went to work in the art department of the publishers Penguin Books, commissioning book 'jackets' and illustrating a few of her own. She has also illustrated many children's publications working in pen and ink, black and white illustrations for older children and using watercolour and pastels for picture books for younger children. These books have been published all over the world. Look at Google under "Honey de Lacey Illustrator" to see more.

Her portrait drawings started from the realisation that she could remember faces and put them into her illustrations.  Honey does her portraits in a very personal and unique way.  She does working drawings, in one sitting, noting the colours she sees, which enable her to recall expressions and details of each character, before completing the finished drawing.  The drawings are done using pastels and Conté in earth colours; painting in the fine details in pastel.  An individual head and shoulders drawing can be up to life size.  For group drawings she does individual working drawings before putting it all together in the finished piece, which can be up to A1 size.

Amongst her portraits she has drawn the children of well-known actors, journalists, lawyers, doctors, famous writers and politicians.

Her empathy with children is apparent in all her work and also in her art teaching which she considers a great passion.  Honey has taught in Croydon Art School, The Adult Institution of Camden, Marylebone and Paddington, The International School, Southbank in West London and in The Hall School for Junior and Senior Boys which is in North London (here she also painted back drops for all the school plays).

Her paintings of landscapes and flowers are done primarily from life, using oil paint on canvas.  She has exhibited in Paris and London including the Gloucester Road Art Festival.

Art festival
Gloucester Road Art Festival 2013