In 2023, Bec graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School, where she received the James Ballaam Elsley Memorial Prize for excellence in painting. Currently based inManly, she balances her artistic practice with a role in the hospitality industry, which inspires her understanding of human behavior and needs. This insight into both conscious and subconscious minds informs her work. As a painter specializing in contemporary fine art, she blends realism and surrealism to explore the intersection of art and human interaction, using her paintings to reflect on the complexities of contemporary culture.
Artist Statement
With foundations in realism, my paintings explore the intricacies of human desire and our primal instincts through surreal imagery that melds human figures with animalistic parts, as well as the imagery of lifeless animals entwined in bondage. My work invites viewers to reflect on the deeper layers of our subconscious, revealing how our fundamental urges shape our identities and actions.
The cow-headed figures in my paintings serve as archetypes, embodying two parts of humanity: where we are simultaneously civilized and instinctual. This juxtaposition highlights our hunger for greed and lust, illustrating how these impulses drive us toward a fantasy world. Through the depiction of lifeless animals in bondage, I raise questions about our primal instincts using various forms of symbolism.
My aim is to allow us to contemplate the consequences of our desires and question why we often want things we don’t necessarily need.These works act as mirrors to our collective psyche, reminding us of the primal core that drives contemporary culture. They offer a space to explore our human instincts and the complex landscape of human longing, urging us to delve deeper into our subconscious and the desires that motivate our actions.