Youth crime versus the inside of my head:
It’s been a real work/art balance this week. Obsessively looking for images for my latest medal collage versus the reality of managing the vulnerable real lives of young offenders. the aesthetic in my head and the reality of legal highs, homelessness and rejection. Art keeps me real and my art is very detached from the people I work with; I like it that way
Becky Nuttall is a British artist, poet and writer whose work often explores themes of personal identity, memory, and intergenerational expectations. Born and raised in the southwest of England, she is strongly influenced by the cultural and religious environments of her youth, particularly the juxtaposition of traditional Catholic convent education as an atheist and the countercultural influences of the 1960s and 1970s. Works include paintings that represent ‘our generation’. This is the generation of women born in the 1950s and were adolescents in the 1970s. This is the generation of women born in the 1950s and were adolescents in the 1970s. Our time was then and remains relevant now. She has exhibited at The Royal Academy, South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, Sheffield, Hereford, Brick Lane and in the South West of England. Artistic Practice Becky is a figurative and narrative artist. Her art often complements her poetry, creating a multi disciplinary body of work that addresses themes of nostalgia and cultural criticism. Her visual style is often layered, reflecting a deep engagement with memory and symbolism, examining the intersections of personal and collective histories of fashion, music and popular culture. Works include females wearing the clothes of, and posing as, male rock stars and poets. Room portraits of significant spaces. She paints in oil, acrylics and intense block on canvas, canvas board and wood. Her collages are made from materials including antiquarian prints, bible illustrations, art school work belonging to her family and herself, vintage ‘medals’ and textiles. Current work in progress for small works self portraits/portraits ‘And we are holding babies’ Poetry and Writing Becky’s poetry and writing seeks the intersections of art, faith, and rebellion, frequently drawing on autobiographical elements. Her sharp but lyrical work often challenges patriarchal narratives and examines how women navigate and resist societal conventions. She is known for her vivid imagery, poignant reflections, and the ability to convey complex emotions with clarity and resonance. Her contemporary place writing and poetry records the cultural heritage of her environment and upbringing. Her current writing project is ‘Eden in an Urban Stream’. This records in poetry and prose the rural landscape in her childhood which included small holdings, farms, rural industries alongside an intermittent reciprocal spring called Laywell. Now lost, it was once a holy well (Lady Well) and the spring was recorded in the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of 1693 and 1732. The Spring flowed into the River Eden, a waterway that now flows mostly through urban gardens, culverts and underground. Academic Studies Becky attended art school in the Seventies. As a mature student she gained a BA(Hons) in Literature including studies in Art History/Contemporary Cultures of Display/Academies, Museums and Canons of Art. She has an MA(Ed), Advanced Diploma in Special needs in Education and Postgraduate Diploma in the Social Sciences that incorporates child and adolescent social development. Before retiring, she worked in education for nine years and Youth Justice for fifteen years. Her writing and art is influenced by her academic and professional background. This adds depth to her exploration of youth, creativity, and the constraints imposed by institutional systems. ‘Nick’s Gift’ poetry anthology published by Beatnpress. Cover art by Laura Page 2023
