Lucy Farmer (b. 1984, Melbourne, Australia) is an established Australian artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, drawing and performance. With more than fifteen years of exhibition history, Farmer has built a reputation for creating visually striking works that explore light, form and human desire.
Raised in a creatively rich environment—surrounded by art, including the work of her father—Farmer developed an early appreciation for artistic expression across multiple mediums. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Performance Studies at Victoria University before undertaking a Master of Fine Art (Painting) at RMIT University.
In addition to her studio practice, Farmer is an accomplished performer who has appeared in, choreographed and directed numerous video and live performances. Her work has been supported by grants and awards, and she has participated in a range of collaborative projects and group exhibitions. These experiences reflect her interest in the intersections between visual art, performance and emotional storytelling.
Farmer’s paintings and drawings have been exhibited widely across Australia for more than fifteen years, and her work is held in private collections in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
After several years marked by both personal challenges and significant life changes, Farmer returned to her artistic practice with renewed focus. In 2023 she founded Precious Again, a boutique, privately owned creative studio based in Melbourne that expands her exploration of diamonds and gemstones into a new sustainable textile-based practice.
Farmer in her Melbourne-based studio, working on a textile amethyst
“I’ve always admired the beauty of diamonds and gemstones and have explored their colours and shapes in my painting practice for years. After finishing a painting, I would wipe my brushes and palettes on rags made from old bed sheets. One day I left a rag sitting in a shallow tub of paint water. Over time the water evaporated and the fabric absorbed the pigments and binders, creating something unexpectedly beautiful. From then on, I began letting the rags soak up the paint water instead of allowing any paint to go down the sink.
At the same time, while working part-time in an eveningwear fabric shop, I saw stunning fabrics purchased for bridal gowns, eveningwear and resort wear. The offcuts from these garments were often discarded and destined for landfill.
I began collecting those fabric scraps and incorporating them into my artwork alongside the painting rags. I was taught from a young age to use the materials I already had before buying more, and that philosophy remains at the heart of Precious Again.”
Painting reference images for upcoming textile-based gemstone artworks
Work
In recent years, Farmer has refined her focus to one of the world’s most revered natural forms: the diamond. Both raw and refined, the diamond carries powerful cultural symbolism—representing wealth, aspiration, desire and status. Through her work, Farmer examines the emotional and social narratives surrounding these associations, exploring themes of longing, envy, aspiration and excess.
Central to her painting practice is a fascination with the diamond’s “flash of fire”—the phenomenon of light dispersion that creates vivid flashes of colour when light passes through the stone. Using numerous translucent layers of paint, Farmer builds luminous surfaces that glow and shift with light. Refractions and reflections evoke the brilliance of the archetypal diamond, while flowing organic lines reference the stone’s natural, uncut origins.
This long-standing exploration of diamonds and light ultimately led to the creation of Precious Again.
At Precious Again, all materials used throughout the art-making process are treated as invaluable. Every last scrap of fabric is repurposed— whether incorporated into patchwork diamond artworks, hand-spun into decorative yarn used to wrap finished pieces, or transformed into handmade paper for each artwork’s Certificate of Authenticity. The result is a gemstone artwork that represents a truly guilt-free luxury.
Precious Again reflects Farmer’s lifelong commitment to resourcefulness and sustainability, transforming discarded materials into objects of beauty and value.
Pink Diamond
2025
Mixed media
30cm x 30cm