My background in fashion is also evident in my work. Not only through the presentation of the human form in my paintings, but also through my love of colour, textures of fabrics and eye for detail.
Contemporary artist Amy Beager
Artist Interview
Contemporary artist Amy Beager talks about her practice, in an interview with Anjali Singh, for the Asian Curator.
What brought you to the world of contemporary art and how did you start?
I have always loved drawing and painting since I can remember. I have used art throughout my life as a form of escapism, connection and self-expression. My tutors at Art college advised me to steer towards associated arts that would result in more secure career prospects, so I chose to do a BA in Fashion Design. I worked professionally as a womenswear designer for 7 years after graduating but it wasn’t fulfilling me creatively and I missed the freedom of painting. So I left my job in 2017 to build a career as a painter. I was working as a freelance designer and illustrator alongside my practice for the first year or so, until I started to exhibit my paintings last year.
Let’s talk about your frameworks, references and creative process.
My interest in painting is to use the human form as a vessel to evoke a mood or feeling through colour, texture, gesture and composition. I usually reference an image as a starting point but the way the paint reacts and the painting process determines the outcome of the finished image. I start with a figurative sketch which will become the initial focus or ‘reality’ within the composition. References range from fashion editorial images to classical paintings and sculpture. My work is less about the specific content and more about using a pictorial style and language to depict a reality and how it can be psychologically interpreted to become dreamlike and emotive.
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice and medium of art over the years.
I am a painter, I use traditional painting mediums such as Acrylic, oils and ink. I just love the vitality and liveliness of paint and how the gesture of each brushstroke is able to prompt subjectivity and narrative. My practice has evolved over the years to create more depth through the layering of paint and experimenting with painterly lines and colour combinations. My background in fashion is also evident in my work. Not only through the presentation of the human form in my paintings, but also through my love of colour, textures of fabrics and eye for detail. I have also been incorporating collage into my work recently which I am enjoying as a textural quality, something that I’m thinking of developing further with fabrics.
What does the creative process mean to you?
Painting to me is like magic. It’s a chance to make an image that has never been seen before and one of a kind, something that you have laboured over and put your heart and soul into. It also becomes a language and way of communicating or connecting with the viewer on an emotional level. The creative process is a constant part of my life, everything I see or hear or read can become inspiration and its all part of it.
I recently listened to a talk by Isabelle Graw – ‘The Economy of painting’. During which she discusses the theory that painting has regained appeal as it appears to store an artists labour and therefore lifetime. How capturing this living labour can perhaps explain why painting is so desired in our economy as extracting value from life. If you think about social media and how the way we live our lives becomes commodified by marketing our ‘life events’, you can compare this to the appeal of painting as it is saturated in the life of the artist.
How do you deal with the conceptual difficulty and uncertainty of creating new work?
I just try to not over-think. My best work is usually when I have less of an idea of what the painting will finish up as, I prefer to just edit, reflect and react to what’s happing during the painting process. Its also much more enjoyable as you can surprise your self during the process and I think its much more interesting than trying too hard to make it look a certain way.
You just have to keep painting and of course not everything will work, but leaving a painting for a few days then returning to it with fresh eyes always helps. I never usually discard any paintings or canvases as I don’t like the wastage, so if I’m really not happy then I will let it fully dry and then paint over it. This actually also creates more depth and interest and a new surface texture for the paint to react to which I like.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
I Look at other artists work, listen to podcasts, read, go for a walk. Some podcasts I have been listening to whilst going for long walks are; The Delphian Podcast, Artfully, To The studio, Ministry of Arts and The Great Women Artists podcast. If I’m not in the right mood to paint I don’t do it. I find that it is just counter productive and there’s so many other things to do as an artist other than actually making the work. So if I’m not in the mood i’ll work on admin, marketing, research, social media etc.
What is your source of creative inspiration?
Right now I am finding a lot of inspiration in classical sculptures and greek mythology. I am also thinking about statues in graveyards and folklore as another avenue to explore. The mood and emotional response comes from the process of painting, but Im really inspired by the physical forms of classical sculpture and deities around love, desire, sorrow as a contextual starting point. I use found images mostly, through Pinterest, Instagram and books or magazines. As Marlene Dumas, one of my favourite painters said; “I use second-hand images, first-hand emotions”.
Any mentor, curator or gallerist who deserves a special mention for furthering your career as an artist?
Since winning the Delphian Gallery Open Call 2020 earlier this year, my work has gained so much more exposure. I entered the competition and thought that if I was even just selected to be shared on their instagram, that would be a great achievement as it means they like my work! So when I found out that I was one of the winners, out of 16000 entries, I just couldn’t believe it! Since then I have been selected for a number of great online group exhibitions and also sold work into Soho House collections. I was also included in the Delphian Gallery current group show ’Antisocial Isolation’ at the Saatchi Gallery.
To exhibit among some of the most talented emerging artists whose work I have been admiring for a while, with Delphian Gallery and at Saatchi Gallery has been a dream come true. The Delphian Open Call winners group show will also be announced soon, which will be an online show due to the current government restrictions. Delphian Gallery also released a book this year full of great advise for early career artists; “Navigating the Art World” which is available through their website.
How does your audience interact and react to the work you put out into the world?
I can give you some general words that have been used to describe my work; otherworldly, mood, dreamy, romantic, mystical, imaginative, powerful, soulful, love. Often comments tend to mention emotions and the colours or brushstrokes used in my work. To be honest most of the feedback I get is through social media or exhibitions, which is very positive and validating and really great for my ego, but I’m not sure is always helpful! Its very encouraging and obviously its amazing to have people tell you how much they love your work, but I think it is important to seek critical feedback in your work too, so that you can learn, improve and progress.
I am currently doing a correspondence course with Turps Banana Art School. It’s an online course where you get critical essays about your work throughout the year. The mentors will not have seen your work before so its anonymous, all correspondence between you both is written and not face to face. Its a great chance to have somebody take the time and really study the paintings giving you feedback and ideas on how you could improve and gain a completely honest view of how somebody sees your work. It’s important to self critique your work and therefore use any feedback however you wish. Ultimately decisions that you make should be based on what you want your work to be not what other people want it to be.
Any upcoming show or events we can look forward to?
My work is currently on display at Saatchi Gallery as part of the group exhibition titled ‘Antisocial Isolation’ curated by Delphian Gallery. It has an amazing line up of artists that I’m thrilled to be apart of. The show is on until the 29th November and as with everything right now, you must pre-book a time slot online, however entry is free.
Artist Contact
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.
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