Beatrice Mar

Beatrice Mar (b.1989) completed a BFA degree at the University of Sydney in Australia and acquired an Master of Arts degree in Drawing from Oxford Brookes University in the UK. She has exhibited in group shows around the UK, in Australia and in Greece.

Beatrice explores the relationships between color, mark-making and form, working across many materials and mediums. The patterns and colors are influenced by experiences in the everyday and reveal narratives in abstract landscapes.

Writing and drawing are the two fundamental processes in her practice, working interchangeably to create a narrative between visual ideas and written meaning.

The dialogue between color, form and mark-making reveal otherworldly, abstract landscapes. These paintings are informed by elements in the natural environment, maps and oftentimes physical objects in order to become more accessible to the viewer.

In her sketchbook, she makes a collection of observations and reactions from everyday experiences. The process of gathering materials may incorporate different avenues; a sentence from reading a book or even a conversation with a friend may conjure up an image. Once words are written down, they become the basis for making marks.

Often a type of visual research takes place. An in-depth exploration of the contrasting qualities of space and forms that transpire into invented glossaries and small compositions in grids categorized into themes such as ‘Light & Void’ or ‘Vision & Feeling’. These become starting points to experiment onto larger surfaces making crossovers with materials such as pens, acrylics, watercolors and food dye.

Painting in non-representational form brings to the surface aspects of reality which cannot be solely articulated through language. By conjuring familiar settings to intrigue the viewer, the titles and images work together to evoke stories about belonging, geopolitical issues and human relationships.