Meet 2 new artists: Harry Wade and Beckie Upton

Harry Wade:
Wade’s creative practice is by no means limited to the paintings that he creates, being accomplished in photography, music and the written word. However, the painterly limb of his practice is central to what he does – especially his abstracted work. Inspired by pioneering abstract expressionists, Wade uses this style of work to avoid ‘tunnel vision’ in what he creates. For him, abstract art allows him to respond to specific feelings and references without restriction. Indeed, his work is always representative of something he has experienced, and this can lead to large shifts in colour palette and style. However, one of his biggest influences remains the Cornish coast line which becomes intertwined with other locations such as the US where he lived for three years and other travel. A true believer in adapting your creative process for your outlook and current mood, he frequently returns to expressionism as well as wanting to reduce his ideas down through minimalism. Always fresh, his work feels dynamic and has a universality despite the personal, specific frame of reference.
Beckie Upton
Gestural and bold, Upton’s work always captures a sense of movement and life. A life-long interest in the natural world is reflected in her work, with specific projects musing on weather mapping, nests, cocoons and life cycles. Indeed, Upton uses her fascination with insects to consider bigger questions about humanity and convey universally understandable concepts and feelings. For example, some of her most recent work has a preoccupation with home and how it’s formed and why we create those spaces. An artist who admits her tendency to throw everything at her art and loves to jump between mediums, her work is often multi-dimensional. Alongside painting she works a lot with ceramic, but the style remains organic and her work generally abstracted. Forever interested in how others perceive abstract work and the audience’s interpretations, Upton’s bright colours and freeness are immediately inviting with a clear, understandable frame of reference.

At a Distance by Beckie Upton