Carolyn Bew

PaintingsPrints

15 Jul

Written By Lu Ernest Design .

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Carolyn Bew is a British artist and educator, living and working in South England.

Carolyn works both as a painter and printer, supporting a practice that depicts both people and animals - often in absurd, or unsettling situations. The animus is primarily concerned with the dynamic and emotionally charged landscape of childhood the complexity of relationships and sense of self.

Carolyn studied Fine Art at Central St Martins School of Art graduating with a double first in painting. After a career in academia teaching fine art she returned to St Martin’s to complete an MA in painting, and to pursue her creative practice. It was during this time that she became influenced by such artists as Max Beckman, George Grosz, John Bellany and Leonora Carrington who use symbolism and metaphor as a way of storytelling. Drawing has always been fundamental to Carolyn's practice, this has informed both her painting and printing.

Whilst oil painting was for many years Carolyn's medium of choice more recently she has been exploring the versatility of acrylic paint. The territory that Carolyn explores in her work is that thin yet rich veneer between the domestic and pantomime. For Carolyn, the idea of nature and nurture are not static terms, but an evolving concept. Through the detailed observation of all things human, her work grapples with the idea of how a sense of self exists and has existed, in the human imagination.

Carolyn’s printmaking, which uses the traditional etching and aquatint process that goes back to the 15th Century, is a medium that is perfectly suited to the portrayal of the allegorical and the complexities of the human condition.

Carolyn does not only investigate the sense of self through her subjects but the evolving attitudes and changing philosophical interpretations that make up a complex sense of identity, who we are, and our difficult attitudes to the animal world, so often seen as something apart.
Carolyn’s work has been shown in group and solo shows across the UK, and is held in private collections worldwide.
Imprint Exhibition - September 17th - October 18th, 2021

Imprint is an exhibition that presents a lively conversation of original print from a selection of artists who approach techniques uniquely through their work. Carolyn Bew presents a limited collection of etching and aquatint prints from her ongoing series Privation and Possession as part of the KMA show.

Beliefs, myths, legends and fairytales regarding animal identity and human transformation into animals are widespread.The use of animals as metaphors to explain human behaviour can be traced back to archaic days before man discovered written language. These artworks are part of an ongoing series that play with these ideas, called Privation and Possession.

The medium used here is traditional etching and aquatint on Fabriano paper made of cotton and other raw material. The metal plate is prepared with an acid-resistant ground through which lines are drawn, exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid and the exposed metal is ‘bitten’, producing incised lines. The inked plate is passed through a printing press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the recessed lines to the paper. Aquatint is then applied to create tonal effects.