Welsh artist Becca May Collins creates landscape painting work with a very particular process. Instead of working from photographs, Collins paints by memory. Within this method, she visualises the glorious Welsh landscape instead of working from real life. In this way, she creates a final outcome of her landscape painting work which is vibrant and abstracted. As well as this, the paintings show a specific version of these places in her memory, making them warmer and perhaps romanticised. ‘Never Once in my Life’ is part of Collin’s series ‘Home, Brecon Beacons’, portraying her longing for home.
In her practice, she primarily explores the development of sentimentality towards a place or site. Most often works with particular sites over time, using image-making as a way to materialise hazy memories. In turn, these strengthen her connection with a place. She currently makes work around ideas of the home and longing. Her imagery is warm, considerate and speaks of a gentle narrative of detachment. In each painting, she reveals a gentle narrative through landscape work.
Her work is held in public and private collections, including the Royal Collection and she was a Bloomberg New Contemporaries Artist 2019.
