ARTIST STATEMENT
For most of my life I have worked in a variety of mediums within the arts. About 20 years ago I grew very fond of painting. The abstract shapes on the canvas are inspired by my daily walks and bike rides in my neighborhood, and by trips to France, Italy, North Scandinavia and the North Sea coast.
Nature and light are my primary sources of inspiration.
During my education as an art teacher I studied ceramics and I have recently reintroduced the material of clay into my practice. I truly enjoy when the lump of clay transforms into a figure or a functional object in my hands. The glaze is a science with a life all its own. I appreciate this surprising element which along with my developed skill creates the final expression of my pieces. I am especially interested in stone wear clay and the ancient Japanese technique, Raku.
Time passes into the blue when I work. Creative expression has always been my relaxation, my moments of peace from an otherwise unusually complex life.
BIO
Anna Margrethe Beck was born in the South West of the peninsula Jylland in Denmark in 1948. Growing up as No 3 of 6 siblings, there was a lot of time to delve into her creativity. She spent her childhood on the dry sandy meadows by the West Coast of the country, where she kept her hands busy with embroidery, drawing, sewing, ceramic, painting, flower braiding and much more. During her whole life she has had an interest and knowledge in wild plants and flowers, and she has a deep understanding of their qualities which she used to document in archives of drawings. Beck transfers this passion into all her work making her own paper with seeds, leaves and stems gathered from the terrain. In her paintings the plants meet fish, birds and other nature elements from the Scandinavian nature.
Beck was a teaching artist for 40 years at two elementary schools in Randers. Together with her husband she raised 6 children, and now they have 4 grand children. After retiring from her job, she now works full time in her art studio with a focus on paintings, ceramics and paper. She is a part of a large communal artist run space named Atelier 12B.
Besides participating in exhibitions with her own artwork, she also has an extensive resume of curating art shows in organizations and art societies.