Bev Bagby

A conversation with landscape, light and memory

Bev Bagby is a landscape-focused artist whose evolving practice reflects decades of study, travel, and deep engagement with process. Her work invites viewers into moments of stillness, light, and remembered beauty.

Art entered Bev Bagby’s life at the age of five, when her grandmother entered her in a children’s art competition. From that moment on, creativity became an enduring presence — and, in time, an obsession of joy.

Bev’s works capture beauty in its natural forms. Working across oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, and printmaking, her practice speaks to visual space with both clarity and lyrical nuance. Each work offers an invitation: to slow down, to explore subtleties, and to experience a fleeting moment — a flash of sunlight, a remembered walk, a snapshot in time — transformed into something to be cherished.

“Beauty abounds us everywhere.”

Process: Listening to the Work

In many instances, a new work begins during a walk or a drive, when a visual image or concept reveals itself. The first stage of Bev’s process is a period of quiet examination — deciding what the image should reflect and how it will live within its chosen format. Size, medium, and surface are carefully considered before the first mark is made.

Once begun, the work becomes a conversation.

“It’s very important that I listen to the work, not to steer it in a direction that may result in losing the essence.”

Sometimes a piece will rest for a while, allowing space for reflection. When the work continues to ‘speak’, Bev knows she is heading in the right direction. Finishing can be effortless — or a challenge — as knowing when a work is truly complete is often the most delicate decision of all.

Landscape is central to Bev’s practice: space, atmosphere, and the rugged beauty of environments that can be sparse, harsh, and deeply moving. These qualities recur throughout her work, shaping both subject matter and emotional tone.

An Evolving Practice

Over more than forty years, Bev’s style has continued to evolve. Her journey has taken her across Australia, New Zealand, and Germany, studying with many influential artists along the way. Printmaking became a pivotal part of her development, encouraging a deeper engagement with process and material.

“It enabled me to go inwards with medium and process… and gave me a great deal of confidence in my own working style.”

Learning remains ongoing. Bev continues to study, search, and refine her practice.

Current Explorations

Bev is currently pushing her acrylic practice, combining multiple techniques to achieve a layered, expressive result. This includes printing onto collage materials, fixing them to canvas, board, or paper, and building the main image over this underpainting.

“It’s very exciting, spontaneous, and I’m pleased where this journey is taking me.”

Inspirations Near and Far

Asked to name a single artistic influence, Bev finds the question almost impossible to answer. Exposure to the masters and modernists in Germany and Paris filled both body and soul with colour and imagery. Yet one place holds particular wonder:

“To see the Musée d’Orsay with Monet’s work is a place of wonder.”

A Day in the Studio

Order matters. A tidy space supports a clear mind. Coffee, music, reference drawings, water and palette — always positioned just right — are essential parts of Bev’s ritual. Only when everything is in place can she fully enter the creative zone.

“It is part of getting myself in the zone… the creative mind.”

Mornings begin with music and coffee, with Bev seated at work and her small companion, Stella, asleep at her feet. Time may be spent reflecting on the previous day’s work, or sketching tiny studies to guide larger pieces. Whatever the task, the mind is fully engaged — searching, exploring, thinking.

A few hours later, Stella will return with a familiar question:

“Are you finished yet, Mum?”

What Drives the Practice

For Bev, creating is about complete immersion — the physical feel of brush or pencil, and the connection between brain and heart that allows energy to flow into the work.

“I want an assistant — to prep canvases, wash palettes, and make me more coffee.”

Community and the Arts Trail

Bev values the Arts Trail both as an artist and as a participant in a wider creative community. Sharing work, engaging with audiences, and experiencing diverse styles and subject matter offer renewed energy and inspiration.

“Being part of a larger creative community allows people to fill their soul — and gives you energy to continue.”

Her art space will be open during the Blackwood River Arts Trail 28 March – 6 April 2026 from 10 – 4 each day at Studio@42, 42 Barron Street, Boyup Brook