Beverley Baker’s practice moves between fine art, costume and moving image, bringing together meticulous detail, rich texture and a distinctive use of colour. Based in rural Somerset, her work is deeply shaped by the surrounding landscape, from the natural rhythms of the Somerset Levels to the folklore, humour and quiet strangeness of village life.
A graduate of BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance at Arts University Bournemouth, Baker approaches painting with a highly structured process. Reference images are carefully staged, edited and transferred through precise grid lines, resulting in compositions that feel deliberate, theatrical and intensely personal. Working across acrylic, pencil, mixed media textiles and costume, she creates images rooted in nostalgia, dreamlike states and surreal narrative, often placing the absurd or fantastical within recognisable everyday settings.
Alongside her 2D practice, Baker is currently developing The Local Country Rapscallion, a costume and film project made in collaboration with young filmmakers in Somerset. Centred on a mysterious yet enthusiastic environmental activist attempting to raise awareness around sustainability, the project reflects Baker’s growing interest in climate consciousness, rural identity and the uneasy comedy of human interaction.
Are you self-taught, or did you undertake formal artistic training?
I’ve spent five years studying art, going from GCSE Art to a UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Practice at college and finally to completing my BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance with Arts University Bournemouth in 2025.
How would you define your visual language or conceptual approach?
Rooted in nostalgia and often in dreamlike states. I’m not concerned about realism itself but want to convey fantastical or strange ideas within the context of reality. The lighting is often dramatic, and I like to paint funny or absurd subjects. People aren’t really sure what to say to what I do sometimes, but I paint for myself before anyone else and that’s what’s important to me, because as well as my professional practice, it’s also what I do for fun.
Can you describe your creative process from conception to completion?
I’m very rigorous in my painting practice, taking reference photos which then get blended together on Procreate, and grid lines drawn over which then gets directly transferred to the canvas or paper. Then I’ll paint in anywhere from 5 minute to 5 hour bursts, until completion- I paint with a lot of detail and small brushes so it takes a while! I always document the process, and often paint old work in the new work because the creative process interests me so much.
Does narrative, symbolism, or storytelling play a role within your work?
Yes, every decision I make for the composition is important- rarely is something in a painting without a reason. Especially in more recent works, I have used a lot of mundane everyday objects that may look irrelevant, but everything has a meaning. I’m really interested in surrealist narratives that are open ended- I may have my own explanation but I’m always really interested in what others think my paintings are about.
Which artists have most influenced you historically or contemporarily and why?
Paula Rego’s Crivelli’s Garden is one of my favourite pieces, a huge mural that spanned a whole wall of the National Gallery when I was lucky enough to see it in person. The use of scale really interests me and is often something I play around with. I’m also heavily influenced by Frida Kahlo and her surrealist, dreamlike style, as well as modern day artist Ben Edge and his book Folklore Rising, documenting the rise of interest in folklore in British young people, which heavily influenced my concept for current project ‘The Local Country Rapscallion’.
What personal, cultural, or environmental influences shape your practice?
I live in rural Somerset and have grown up alongside the nature reserves in the heart of the Somerset Levels. The nature aspect is definitely something that’s come up more and more in my art, most notably in my current film project, The Rapscallion, which embodies the desperation of climate change, but also points out that although the average people can make small changes that help, the responsibility and damage does lie on the big corporations. As I’ve gotten more aware of the climate crisis, I’ve cut back on buying new materials, going second hand where possible, and being aware of materials I use. I’ve even started repainting canvases from my GCSE Art era, instead of buying more new.
Where is your studio based, and how does the space inform your creativity?
I work from my studio at home in Somerset. It’s been featured in quite a few of my paintings as part of the subject because in my mind it’s just such a part of my creative practice that it actually merges with the end products painted within it. Old paintings and projects sometimes get painted into the new, as well as art materials and my sketchbook. It’s all part of the same cyclical narrative, never stopping.
Do you have any rituals or rhythms that anchor your studio practice?
I use my favourite paintbrush to paint the majority of my work, although it shrinks and shrinks as it loses hair, so I’m sad to have to switch to others! I also use my glass desk directly as a paint palette and about once a year I’ll scrape it down with a Stanley knife because it gets too lumpy to work on.
What bodies of work or projects are you currently developing?
I am currently working on a personal project, making a costume for my character ‘The Local Country Rapscallion’ which will be seen in a short film I’m collaborating with other young filmmakers to make at home in Somerset over the next month. Synopsis: A mysterious but enthusiastic environmental activist looks to raise awareness for sustainability in the village but finds themselves caught in confusion interacting with the villagers…
Where can collectors encounter or acquire your work?
Almost everything I make goes straight to Instagram (@beverley_art), I also exhibit several times a year, currently with Circular ArtSpace Bristol until the end of April, so watch out for in person exhibitions! I’m open for commissions, and am open to selling any of my physical work I post too. Digital prints can be found on Etsy- beverleyartgb.
