The Bacton Trail

Amelia is primarily known for creating vibrant and dynamic paintings by pouring and manipulating art resin mixed with acrylics and ink onto handmade panels. Inspired by aerial landscapes and largely self-taught, she has spent many years developing and experimenting with her unique style, which is gaining interest from collectors and art lovers around the world.

“Behind each painting is a detailed thought process, however I try not to impose limitations, allowing spontaneity and creativity to flourish. I enjoy having an element of chance when I’m working; it allows a painting to evolve organically. For me, painting is a form of meditation, with each piece of art encapsulating the energy and feeling that I experience during the process. As such, each painting is truly unique and cannot be replicated. Alongside working with resin, I also enjoy creating wildlife illustrations using watercolour and gouache. I’m also exploring a bit of printmaking too – well at least trying to squeeze it all in alongside Motherhood! Ultimately, no matter the medium, my art will always be my personal interpretation of the astonishingly beautiful planet that we inhabit, and my hope is that it can encourage others' appreciation and love of the natural world.”

I work mainly using soft fibres, particularly leaves from the raffia palm - a pliable plant material which I hand build into rigid structures.

I create the vessels by traditional coiling/wrapping techniques using the material as both the core and the thread. The shapes evolve intuitively by manipulating the strands and securing with slow meditative stitching.

Watch me demonstrate my process during the forthcoming #North Norfolk Open Studios #Bacton Trail

May 27th/28th 29th

June 3rd/4th

After starting my artistic life as a creative manager in the music business I eventually moved from London to live in north Norfolk and became entranced by the beauty of the coast. I joined the Norfolk Painting School Diploma course in oils but have since moved on with my practice. Although I'm still predominantly an oil painter I've begun to use a variety of different media to reflect the changes in the natural landscape that surrounds my studio situated close to the beach in Bacton.

I started working as a photographer professionally in 1984 with an odd mix of photographing bands for the New Musical Express, jazz musicians for The Wire Magazine and ancient buildings for English Heritage(!). I gravitated towards more studio based work during the 80s and had work accepted into the National Portrait Gallery collection - most notably a mixed media collage of the composer, Gavin Bryars, consisting of floated polaroid, collaged map, elastic bands and rusty nails.

I sold my soul to the photo libraries during the glory years. This was a lucrative business back then and gave me the freedom to work with musicians and dancers without having to worry too much about limited budgets. However, although I really appreciate the talent required to make a truly memorable stock image, I began to feel the creativity ebb away and the industry itself was becoming unsustainable as a business model for the producers. The move to Norfolk a few years ago and signing up to Instagram a year or so back have helped me reintroduce the notion of play: making images for the sheer pleasure of it and seeing where they lead. Some of the fruits of these endeavours are seen here. This particular body of work, The Bacton Seal, is a collaboration between me and my artificially intelligent alter ego, Andy Inkblot.

My art is very much about the land and seascape that surrounds me here in Bacton. To the south I look out on the ruins of Bromholm Priory, whilst to the north there is the sea and the endless beach. All within three hundred metres. Beachcombing has provided many triggers to be creative resulting in paintings, monoprints sketchbooks driftwood cupboards, one off books and much more. Mainly mixed media, often with collage and an increasing nod towards abstraction.