Charlotte Beare

Drawing has always been at the heart of my practice. Careful observation is important to me — slowing down enough to really see a face, an expression, how light falls or subtle shifts in colour and tone. For many years, this drew me towards highly detailed, photorealistic work, particularly portraiture.
Teaching has become an important part of my creative journey. Working with students in my home studio has made me examine not only how we draw and paint, but how we learn to see. In explaining techniques to others, I have become more conscious of my own process and, perhaps unexpectedly, more willing to question it.
More recently, painting has begun to change the way I work. I still love detail and accuracy, but I’m increasingly drawn to colour, visible brush marks and the energy of a less controlled response. I’m learning that a painting doesn’t have to describe everything.
At the moment, my work sits somewhere between those two instincts: careful observation and the desire to let go. My creative journey feels very much unfinished and that is what excites me. I’m becoming less interested in simply reproducing what I see, and more interested in discovering how I see it.