Beatrice Galletley is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '22

Beatrice is a ceramic artist living and working in London. In 2013 she began her Foundation Degree at Kingston University and went on to study her BA in Fine Art at Newcastle University (2014-2018). Beatrice has recently completed a two-year MA in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art. At the RCA she become particularly inspired by objects that are multi-dimensional; they defy boundaries both physically and metaphorically.

Beatrice ceramic works engage with her direct and intuitive approach to her practice. Rooted in her deep fascination with objects in a state of flux, these works challenge our existing perception of the world by defying our need to categorise things and thus allowing objects to be seen in a new light. The ambiguity of these works defies boundaries and categorisation.

Beatrice achieves this through merging opposing forms; including geometric and organic, playing with scale, manipulation of context, and colour.

ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.

How did you get started as an artist?

The passion for ceramics began when i was 16 at school. I had found a medium that i could push to new limits. I was able to communicate and explore my ideas in a way i had never been able to before. That was when i new i wanted to pursue a career in Art. I explored other mediums on my foundation however when i went on to do my BA in Fine Art i was drawn back to ceramics and i have never looked back. Making, creating and developing is who i am.

How would you describe your artistic approach?

I have a unique relationship with clay and the way i develop my work. It is completely intuitive and i rely on my subconscious thought to dictate the way i manipulate and develop my forms. I challenge and push the clay, i am consistently building a relationship with the forms and clay. If i push it too far and it breaks for example i see this as positive and create something different and better.

Along with exploring through making i spend a-lot of time reading various philosophical and theoretical books such as 'The poetics of space' to fuel my practice. I am also constantly drawing intuitively and making collages which inform the way i make. I never design my sculptures i make them in the moment being guided by intuitive instinct making each piece completely unique.

And how about what inspires you?

Our lives are intertwined with categories in which we like to place things. Objects are defined by form, colour and scale, but most importantly by their function and our understanding of them. Through my ceramic sculpture I hope to show how breaking these conventions can bring a new order and understanding to objects and ourselves within the world.

I am drawn to things that are multi-dimensional: they defy boundaries both physically and metaphorically. Life does not exist within a static state, so why should objects? This ever-shifting plane or mindset we live in is diminished in the way many works are displayed. I feel it is important to break this and situate artwork in the same fluid state it was created in.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

The biggest challenge i faced recently was finding the balance between working to support myself and making. Like many my final year in MA was completely disrupted by Covid 19. I was unable to finish the work i was making and we were not able to have show.

Due to this i took some time away from my practice and throw myself into using and developing my skills in the work place. I worked as a tutor and studio manger for a ceramics studio and i also worked for a prominent artist. However, after two years of not spending much time focused on my own work i become rather unhappy and realised that i need to finally focus on myself and my practice. So i quit all my jobs and began to focus fully on reconnecting myself with my practice.

Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.

Well with ceramics there is a never a boring day and no day is the same! Depending on what stage i am in my making very much depends on my day. Often my day will consist of refining a sculpture i have started and then i will continue to build on it until it has reached the amount of wet clay it can with stand.

I will then began to prepare some more slabs to dry and harden so that i can finish the building. I will recycle my clay - there is a-lot of prep needed with ceramics and everything has to be right consistency to work with. so i will make sure everything is prepared and plan my week around these preparations.

Somedays i will look at new glazes to develop and make test to see how they come out. But the best day in the studio is opening the kiln after a firing!

Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?

I have never used decals before and this a new process i want explore within my work specially the wall based sculptures. I make digital collages which consist of my works. I edit cut up and place this in new contexts and structures. I plan to make new collages which I then bring back into ceramics using decals. I have always wanted to display my collages alongside my ceramic sculptures as I feel they add an exciting depth and help the viewer to further questions their need to categories objects.

It is not a new medium but i want to explore using metal within my work. I used it previously to help upscale my work and i have always been intrigued between the relationship of metal and ceramics and so this is something i want bring back into my work.

What are you currently working on? Or an upcoming project you want to mention?

I am currently developing a new series of sculptures. I am pushing my self to create larger scale works. I am exploring how i can achieve this as due to space i am limited on my kiln size. Therefore i am seeing how i can create larger works that will be glued or slotted together after firing.

I am also developing a new series of wall based sculptures that will take on aa similar form to my free standing sculptures. I want to push my work into more installation based work, looking at creating an installation in which viewers immerse themselves; a world of abstract, anthropomorphic, and metamorphic sculptures.

How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?

One of the hardest part of being an artist is exposure and making sure that people are able to see your work and wide audience gets to engage with it. So to be selected as an Artist to Watch is such an honour and will help me to further my career.

It is hard to find your lucky break in the art world so be selected gives me such confidence and drive to keep making a producing.

See more of Beatrice’s work

Website | Instagram