ON THE PRACTICE
In 2022, I came across a rare cache of vintage Hayle Mill paper at a trusted supplier in London. The discovery led me to work exclusively in graphite for these pieces — no ink or colour, just line, observation, and a closer articulation of my hand as an artist.
Graphite allows me to study the subtle structures of plants and the traces of weather and insects, details that might otherwise be lost in my sumi ink work.
Having worked through that original stash, I am now in conversation with several of the few remaining handmade paper mills in England, continuing this body of work where English papermaking heritage and seasonal observation meet. The intention remains the same: to honour both the material craft and the moment it carries.
PAPER PROVENANCE
Hayle Mill, Kent — founded in 1815 and closed in 1987 — was one of Britain’s most significant handmade papermakers, producing sheets from cotton rag with a softly textured surface that holds graphite in a way modern papers rarely do. These sheets have not been manufactured for nearly 40 years, making them increasingly finite and irreplaceable.
The particular cache used in my practice came from the Brixton studio of Leonard McComb RA, acquired after his death by my paper supplier in London. McComb former Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools, whose work is held in the collections of the British Museum, Tate Britain, and the V&A. Hayle Mill itself had also supplied artists including J. M. W. Turner, embedding this material within a long lineage of British drawing practice.
“If one person smiles when they see my work it is enough, my life has had a meaning and a shape.”
- Leonard McComb RA
Collecting These Works
There is a selection of graphite works currently available. If something has caught your eye, or you’d like to know more about a particular piece — including dimensions, framing or pricing — I’m always happy to hear from collectors directly.
Enquiries: info@lucyauge.co.uk
Available work: View available artwork
Instagram: @lucyauge_art
A selection of graphite works will be included in my forthcoming exhibition:
A decade of practice, gathered
Royal Crescent, Bath
24–26 September 2026
10:00am–6:00pm
The exhibition is open to the public, and I will be there throughout all three days. Please come and say hello.
COPYRIGHT
I am fully committed to protecting the ability for artists to earn a living from their creative endeavours. Copyright theft threatens our very existence. Accordingly, I reserve and protect my copyright in all my creative works and I do not tolerate copying. Copying a registered design is a criminal offence, and I will take action against those who steal my work. Statement prepared in consultation with Two Birds Legal.
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