Class of 2019: Felicity Beaumont

BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Suffolk

“During my time at university my painting practice has developed enormously. Initially result-based and focused on representational works, now there’s an incredible interest in process, materiality and the in-depth exploration of a subject rather than a simple reproduction of an image. I have also realised that the theoretical concepts I am interested in are extremely influential to my physical practice.

For my degree show I will present a collection of acrylic paintings that blur the line between figurative and abstract representation. Working with a variety of source photographs, I have been exploring the re-situation of the human body within contemporary painting, the effect of an unknown image provenance, and the socially engrained relationships we have to the nude in art – related to the male gaze and objectification.

Using digital cropping, expressive painting techniques and various scale experimentation, I create bold, gestural paintings which present the body from unconventional angles and sometimes unrecognisable degrees of magnification.

I hope my degree show will be a celebration of the power of painting, to show how, despite the digital age we live in, paint is still an important medium for us to explore complex concepts and subjects which are often private or taboo. I hope that my paintings will raise discussion around the viewer/painter/subject relationship and the relevance of the human body within contemporary painting.

Working towards our degree show has been a challenging and exciting task. It has encouraged me to reflect and examine my practice in more detail than ever before and to situate myself as an artist through my chosen medium, themes and processes. At the beginning of my degree, I struggled to convincingly define my practice, whereas now I feel I have developed a strong artistic identity by exploring what interests and inspires me, how I work, and why I am motivated to paint.

I am really excited to carry on developing my practice after graduation. I’m lucky enough to already have some local venues interested in exhibiting my work, so I hope to be able to continue to share my work with the public, exhibit on a local and national scale, and carry on exploring the human body within contemporary painting through physical and written work.”

Degree show: 11-17 June. www.felicitybeaumont.comImages:
1. Felicity Beaumont, Sunshine, 100x150cm, acrylic on canvas.
2. Felicity Beaumont, Submerged Mirror 1 and 2, 20x30cm each, acrylic and ink on canvas.

Interview by Jack Hutchinson