An Interview with Phoebe Beard
We were first introduced to Phoebe Beard when she started following us on social media - yes, we do look at who you are too! What immediately intrigued us about her practice was her commitment to print as a social medium. Phoebe makes sense of the world around her through producing printed matter and often connects with her broader community through workshops and programming that use print as the gateway to a shared understanding of complex global concerns such as climate change and housing inequalities.
Press Check Exhibition, Sawtooth Artist Run Initiative, Launceston, Tasmania.
When did you first start printing?
I first became interested in printmaking in 2013 through stencil and graffiti art. Arranging objects on large pieces of paper, I would experiment with acrylic spray paint. The artworks spoke of personal medical issues, using found animal bones and metal screws to discuss dislocations and breaks. Collecting objects on the side of the road and in skip bins, I would look for objects that had sharp edges, spraying over the object to reveal defined edges and objects.
After working for around a year in this manner, I then began to explore Surrealism and modes of abstraction, finding inspiration in the work of artists like Joan Miro and Wassily Kandinsky. Drawing body parts onto stencil film, I cut out each shape and used the hand-drawn stencils to build unnatural and exaggerated forms. These stylized forms inspired future public artworks, creating architectural prints and posters produced using screenprint and linocut.
‘Storm Chasers’ Exhibition, June 2023. Seventh Gallery, Richmond, VIC
Cyclone Ilsa, Oil-based ink on bamboo paper
Did you receive formal print training or did you begin incorporating print techniques over time?
Depending on the project, I would approach independent artists or studios for printmaking training, developing my skills through open access programs and mentorship opportunities. Having access to screenprinting and lithography facilities in 2017, I was mentored by John Robinson, artist and master printmaker at School of Creative Arts, University of Tasmania. The use of these professional facilities supported the development of Beards Building Solutions, a satirical building company who used screenprinted brochures and posters to advertise homes.
Booklets and posters allow me to experiment with text and composition, creating sculptural artworks that can be installed on street corners and inside galleries. Engaging with artist-run-initiatives in Tasmania, Northern Territory and Victoria, I was able to share my printmaking skills with gallery volunteers. Introducing volunteers to basic relief printing, I was also able to practice printmaking and present workshops alongside exhibition programs. The two-hour workshops emphasized potential for printmaking to be a social medium, developing both my public speaking and teaching skills.
Falling stars and thatched huts. Denim, cotton quilt, elastic trim, and pillows.
(Detail) Falling stars and thatched huts. Denim, cotton quilt, elastic trim, and pillows.
Where do you typically make your work? Home studio? Shared space?
Working full-time as a Visual Art Technician, I have access to classroom space to realize large relief print projects such as a three-metre-long artwork I exhibited as part of ‘Storm Chasers’ at Wreckers Artspace in Brisbane. Connecting tables in the open plan classrooms, I was able to maneuver the artwork, applying ink using brayers and barrens.
Given that my workplace is an hour from my home, I travel to a shared studio on the weekends. Sharing with three artists (two painters and one printmaker), I use the desk space to write applications and draw. ‘Storm Chasers’ for instance, evolved through long period of research and writing, referencing images of tornadoes and cyclones in Australia and the United States.
The benefits of sharing a studio are both financial and social, providing me with ongoing artistic relationships that are not associated with buying and selling artwork. I can relate to each studio artist as we are at the beginning of our careers, asking for guidance when pricing artwork and writing grant applications. Although the size of the studio can be limiting, I make regular efforts to create large artworks outside the studio, often engaging new audiences that are not familiar with contemporary art.
We mourn the blossoms of May because they are to wither. Woodcut on Japanese Kozo paper
How do you see printmaking informing your more expanded practice?
Unlike drawing, printmaking is a way for me to engage with social and political narratives using manual machines like the Albion Press and etching press. The edition process is an opportunity to share ideas with people outside the art community, distributing booklets and brochures about extreme weather and housing affordability. This act of distribution and discussion continues to drive my printmaking practice, creating artworks that respond to current issues in the Australian and International media.
Considering the tactility of printed artworks, I reference newsagents and tourism centres when designing an exhibition or artwork installation. Postcard racks, magazine holders and bookshelves are items I incorporate, implying everyday use of artworks. Holding and reading print material, the edition process allows my to populate tactile exhibition displays, inviting people to touch and hold artworks. The idea of tactile artworks engages my interest in expanded printmaking practice.
Anemometer For Sale, August 2023
(detail) Anemometer For Sale, August 2023
Who would you love to collaborate with?
Two artists I would like to collaborate with in the future are Rebbecca Mayo from Canberra and Raymond Arnold from Queenstown in North-West Tasmania. Both artists use the natural environment to etch images and color onto sheets of paper - using bark from trees and stones from mining towns.
‘More than human: The animal in the age of the Anthropocene’ presented in March 2020 discussed natural and artificial marks on paper. Mayo used her worm farm at home to etch into printmaking paper, exhibiting organic marks alongside laser etched letters. This process of composting inspires my printmaking practice as I pursue patient and sustainable ways of working.
Raymond Arnold adopts a more illustrative approach to art, referencing the mineral and mining culture of Queenstown, Tasmania. I am drawn to his large monochrome etchings that depict North-West Tasmania. The assembled artworks comprise of many different etchings, revealing sharp rock faces and tall gum trees. Arnold established a residency known as ‘Landscape Art Research Queenstown’ (LARQ). I take inspiration from Arnold as he engages with remote Tasmanian artists, offering mentorship and employment opportunities in North-West Tasmania.
Resourcing The Territory' exhibited as part of Press Check Exhibition at Sawtooth Artist Run Initiative, November 2018
What are you working on at the moment?
The Bureau of Meteorology inspires my current research as I reference radar images online, looking at dangerous cyclones and tornadoes in Australia. Cyclone Ilsa, a category five storm that impacted Western Australia in April 2023 is depicted as a ten-layer reduction linocut. The relief print will be presented in four panels and installed in four separate frames. Together the four panels will depict the power and size of Cyclone Ilsa.
Each featured post in the Womxn in Expanded Print series is accompanied by a donation to the cause of each artist’s choosing in their name. Phoebe has chosen Osteogenesis Imperfecta Society of Australia.