AMY BEAGER

AMY BEAGER

Amy Beager (b. 1988) lives and works from her studio in Chelmsford, UK. She obtained a National Diploma in Art & Design (Distinction) in 2007 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Nottingham Trent University in 2010. Beager was selected as a winner for the Delphain Gallery open call 2020 and started exhibiting her work in London in 2019.  Beager's  bold and graphic paintings reimagine mythological characters through an emotive and fluid language. Her painting ‘The Blue Room’ is currently on display at Saatchi Gallery as part of the group exhibition ‘Antisocial Isolation’ curated by Delphian Gallery. Beager's work has been acquired by Soho House and placed in multiple private collections globally.

WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL CREATIVE PROCESS? DO YOU HAVE A STARTING POINT FOR YOUR WORK?

I use traditional painting mediums such as acrylics, oils, oil bar and sometimes paper or fabric collage. I usually reference an image as a starting point but the way the paint reacts and the painting process often directs the outcome of the finished painting. The shapes, colours and brushwork created during the process form a visual language and help to suggest a narrative. I start with a figurative sketch which will become the subject or subjects within the composition. Image references range from fashion photography to classical paintings, neoclassical sculptures and Cemetery sculptures. I always take photos throughout the different stages of a painting, this helps me to look at the image as a whole and also at painterly details independently.

 

DO YOU THINK YOUR BACKGROUND IN FASHION DESIGN HAS INFORMED YOUR CURRENT PRACTICE?

Yes, my fashion background will have informed my painting style for sure. Not only because of my enjoyment for drawing the female form, but also from the knowledge I have gained and things I experienced whilst working as a designer. Creating colour palettes for collections and creating texture through fabrics are part of the design process, so my interest and understanding of these elements influence my painting style. It's such a luxury now to be able to mix any colour you desire with paint! Research is a huge part of designing and I was lucky enough to travel a lot and experience things that have become subconscious references. References that I inevitably take from when creating and editing my work.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR COLOUR PALETTE FOR YOUR PAINTINGS? DOES IT COME INTUITIVELY?

Yes it mostly comes intuitively. I have my favourite tones that I generally use to layer up the painting with, but the combination and proportions are determined during the process. I like to surprise myself with colours that can sit well together and I find the best way is to be experimental. I just keep painting over things until I like the balance of colour.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSICAL SCULPTURE AND MYTHOLOGY IN YOUR WORK?

I like to position the figures in my paintings in poses that are inspired by classical and renaissance art. I have also recently been looking at cemetery sculptures such as Giulio Monteverde's 'Oneto Angel' and the sculpture at the tomb of The Ribaudo Family, which was famously used on the cover for Joy Division's 'Love will tear us apart' in the 1980s. Both sculptures are at the Staglieno Cemetery in Genova. I started looking into greek sculpture/ mythology after reading 'My Life' about the dancer Isadora Duncan a couple of years ago and it inspired me to look into these as they had influenced her. A lot of neoclassical sculptures are depictions from mythology, but I tend to just make the paintings and if they take on a mythological narrative of some kind during the process or once finished then I might title the work after it. 

FOR ME, THE SUBJECTS IN YOUR PAINTINGS ARE FILLED WITH EMOTION AND ATTAIN A CERTAIN DREAMLIKE QUALITY. WHAT IN PARTICULAR APPEALS TO YOU ABOUT THE FEMALE FORM?

I think it's simply because I am female and I have always enjoyed drawing women. I guess it started when I was young and would draw myself in outfits that I wanted or in my 'dream' bedroom with all the things that I wanted. My sister and I would spend a lot of our time drawing and we would give the characters names and make up stories about them. I still enjoy creating characters that I can take into another world and then they can become anything. 

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I have a few new paintings as part of a group exhibition 'It's All Relative' with Four You Gallery and Artistellar. It's an online exhibition and virtual gallery space that opens next week on 1st June and runs until the 30th June. I also have a few pieces in auctions later this month in 'Top 100' with The Auction Collective and a solo show in October with Wilder Gallery.

Eggshell (2021)

Juliet is the sun (2021)

Cloud Nine (2021)