A joint show of works by John Donaldson and Polly Luce
Launching June 28th | Mayne Gallery, Kingsbridge, South Devon
This summer we’re bringing together the strikingly different yet deeply complementary visions of two artists, both inspired by the Devon landscape.
John Donaldson, now in his 80s, has spent a lifetime immersed in the changing light and elemental weather of Devon, France, and beyond. His paintings are lyrical, expressive, and alive with movement — guided by instinct, memory, and atmosphere. Through a palette shaped by decades of exploration, John captures not only place but also presence — the feeling of being within the land, not merely observing it.
Polly Luce, a rising voice in contemporary landscape painting, offers a meditative counterbalance. Her paintings are calm and freeing, composed in delicate layers of colour and form. A self-taught painter with a background in art history, Polly’s dreamlike semi-abstract landscapes are contemplative, still, and full of space. Having grown up in Devon and now rooted in the North Somerset countryside, her work invites slow looking and gentle reflection.
Together, John and Polly offer two distinct voices in conversation. Resonance is not only about contrast, but also about connection. Both artists are moved by the rhythms of the natural world, the emotional weight of place, and the timeless pull of landscape as muse.
