Becky comes from an artistic and literary background based in Brixham Devon. She studied art in the early seventies but got diverted by literature and, latterly, the social development of adolescents. The research undertaken as part of her MA reconnected her to her own adolescence and its influences.
Becky was born in 1957 and coming from a creative family, she was always drawn to imagery and how artists interpreted the known and unknown, the sacred and profane, the human, the humane and the inhumane. The convent she attended as a child and teenager was dominated by religious imagery, the secular world mostly ignored unless it mirrored conformity and patriarchy. These challenged her liberal upbringing. During her 1970s art school education her influences became rock music, fashion, feminism, popular culture, Dada, modernism and the places and objects her family created and loved, becoming symbols of love and pride in her cultural heritage but also the conflict and loss that comes with becoming older. Becky creates the works to acknowledge these and the impact religious violence, guilt, piety, sainthood, patriarchal art history and conformity had on a young girl – considering how she challenged and interpreted these in her adolescence. Becky creates intertextual works in adulthood as she deconstructs and reconstruct the relationship between her education, Catholicism, her adolescence, her identity and her family’s creativity to create a new context in her own art. Her art and writing emphasises the importance of juvenilia on later creativity and identity. Becky is not a Catholic and although challenging, this has become an interesting collaboration in her art and poetry.
Becky is the Chair of Torbay Guild of Artists and an English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark Ambassador Artist
Becky’s work has developed into distinct themes:
Influence of religious educational dogma in childhood and adolescence and the influence of feminism and being an emerging female artist in the Seventies. The importance of juvenilia on later creativity
Referencing the objects, people, places and influences in her past including rock music, literature and popular culture. Works include taking iconic images of male poets, artists, rock stars and characters from children’s literature. They are reinterpreted as women and girls wearing iconic male rock star jackets, suits and clothes. Works also include paintings that represent ‘our generation’. This is the generation of women born in the 1950s and were adolescents in the 1970s
Becky’s works are figurative, narrative subjects. Researching family photos, traditional religious iconography, the representation of women in popular culture and the creativity of feminist women artists, her works flip the male gaze and the submissive roles of her generation of women. She invents narratives with characters from her imagination. Paintings may start with a portrait but end as a stranger. These strangers gaze at you or past you but occupy the same space.
Becky is influenced by the Dada women artists, Synthetism artists, Modernist literature, Mina Loy, Barbara Hulanicki, Biba makeup, mid-century ceramics, Vivienne Westwood, David Bowie, David Hockney, Ossie Clarke, Celia Birtwell, Joseph Cornell, Lucien Freud, Botticelli, Paul Gauguin, Pre Raphaelites, children’s literature, rock music, drum solos and guitar riffs.
Becky is a poet and writer. Her blog on her website recalls ‘our generation’ and the influences on her artistic practice including popular culture, her artist father, his friends, the environment and social history where she grew up, her convent education, art school education and the importance of juvenilia.
Becky’s anthology ‘Nick’s Gift’ is published by BeatnPress
Becky’s works are paintings, mixed media and collage. She paints mainly in acrylic and ink block but she also uses mixed media often including parts of her original childhood and art student works which are collaged into paintings. Works are on wood, canvas or canvas board. Works with a reference to religious iconography re – imagine the paintings in convent schools. Becky sometimes collages copies of works by her father and children into her work to show the artistic tradition that runs through her family.
Collages are works influenced by found mythic, ancient, religious and antiquarian textual images.
Professional Experience
Bursary Award for ‘Art of the School’ solo exhibition March 2022
‘The anchorhold – 1971’ has been selected and sold at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2021
Her work “Bedroom shrine to the virgin of the rocks” was shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2017 and highly recommended alternative or mixed media in the show – Torbay Guild of Artists 2018.
Also Best alternative/mixed media and best painting in show for ‘St Peter Chanel of the Staffroom’ Torbay Guild of Artists 2018
‘Dorothy chasing rainbows’ has been selected best acrylic painting in the show – Torbay Guild of Artists Exhibition 2021
‘I am not a romantic’ selected by SWAc Open Exhibition 2021
Awards
Bursary for solo exhibition Artizan Gallery, Torquay 2022
Best acrylic/oil in show Torbay Guild of Artists 2021
English Riviera UNESCO Geopark Ambassador Artist 2019
The Cavaliere Trophy Torbay Guild of Artists 2018
The Hall Trophy Torbay Guild of Artists 2018
Highly Recommended Torbay Guild of Artists 2018
Highly Recommended Torbay Poetry Festival International Poetry Competition 2018
Exhibitions
Shortlisted RA Summer Exhibition 2017
Fashioning Our History Paper Doll Brent Museum and Archive
Torre Abbey Museum Torquay Devon ‘Chasing Rainbows’ 2021
Hereford College of Arts ‘In the Frame” International Women’s Day 2021 with Guerrilla Girls 2021
Artizan Summer Open Exhibition 2021
Torbay Guild of Artists Exhibition 2021
South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts 2021
Artizan Gallery, Winter Open Exhibition 2021
The Holy Art,Dalston London 2021
RA Summer Exhibition 2021
Artizan Open Summer Exhibition, Torquay 2022
Torre Abbey Museum Cafe Exhibition 2022
Solo exhibition Artizan Gallery 2022
Artizan Open Winter Exhibition 2022
Torbay Guild of Artists Summer Exhibition 2022
Fronteer Gallery Sheffield ‘Postcards’, Sheffield 2023
Fronteer Gallery Sheffield ‘All the Small Things’ 2023
Shipley Underground Market ‘Poetry Makes me Smile 2023
Shipley Underground Market ‘Self Portraits Make me Smile’ 2023
Bovey Paradiso Bovey Tracey Devon 2023 and 2024
Cockington Court Kitchen Gallery Torquay 2023
Artizan Gallery Summer Open Exhibition Torquay 2023
Torbay Guild of Artists at Artizan Gallery Torquay 2023
Artizan Gallery ‘Women Artists’ 2023
Artizan Winter Exhibition 2023
Bovey Paradiso Art of Poetry 2023 -2024
Fronteer Gallery Sheffield ‘Home’ 2024
Flavel Dartmouth 2024 Joint Exhibition with Laura Page ‘Our Generation’
Curator
Milton Head Pottery Exhibition Brixham Library Devon 2016 and Torquay Library Devon 2017
How Poetry Makes Us Human – Torquay Library Devon 2017
We are Making a New World Artizan Exhibition/Torbay Hospital Torquay Devon 2018
Our Place in the Seven Heavens Artizan Exhibition/Torbay Hospital 2019
Poetry
Poetry Island Torquay Devon –
Big Poetry Torquay Devon from 2016 (inc Headliner)
Monthly producer and curator Stanza Extravaganza Torquay 2017 – 2021
Speaky Blinders Paignton Devon from 2018 (inc Headliner)
Published Ink Sweat and Tears 2017
Word Café Cott Inn Dartington Devon 2017
Illustration for Sheila Aldous poetry anthology ‘Paper Boats’
Acumen Journal poem published 2019
Torquay Museum World Book Day commissioned poetry reading 2018
Torbay Poetry Festival award reading 2018
Torbay Ageing Well Festival poetry reading Paignton Devon 2019
Orate Orcale Paignton Devon 2019
Susan Taylor and Simon Williams Play anthology poem published 2019
Acumen Poets Friday poetry reading 2019
Torbay Culture Board Conference poetry reading 2019
Support Robert Garnham Our Place in the Seven Heavens poetry reading 2019
Published first anthology ‘Nick’s Gift’ 2019
Word Stir Totnes Headliner 2019 (inc Headliner)
Wonder Zoo Plymouth online poetry reading 2021
Illustration for Big Sis Handbook Plymouth Devon 2021
Foreword for Jason Disley poetry anthology ‘Pop V Subterranean’ 2021
Heavy Soul Records Modzine article with Jason Disley 2021
Totnes Community Bookshop poem of the week for International Women’s Day 2021
Review for Robert Garnham ‘Woodview’ poetry anthology, 2022 book cover
Monthly producer and curator Big Poetry Torquay 2023
Reissue ‘Nick’s Gift’ by Beatnpress with updated cover art by Laura Page 2023
Feature poet ‘Poets and Pints’ Barrel House Totnes Devon 2023
Bovey Paradiso Poetry and Beyond 2024
Talks
English Riviera Magazine interview 2015
Art Talk – Artizan Gallery Devon 2016
The Wombwell Interview 2017
The Shorely Magazine filmed interview 2018
Torbay Film Festival 2018
Robert Garnham Interview 2019
Radio Devon interview 2019
Sound Art Radio Dartington John Eden 2021
Torbay Hospital Our Place in the Seven Heavens Art Show talk and poetry reading 2019
English Riviera UNESCO Geopark Ambassador Artist interview – You Tube
The Brave Moment Podcast interview 2020
Interview with John Tomkins Bowie at Torquay Town Hall – contribution to film
Voice over for Great Place Scheme evaluation report Torbay Culture 2021
Torbay Hospital online culture talk for staff 2021
Palace Theatre Paignton Audience with Daytime Talk – Milton Head Pottery, English Riviera Geopark and the Guzzledown Connection 2022
Leslie Tate interview 2024