Meet the Maker: Georgia Beaumont
Georgia Beaumont is a British artist whose practice is rooted in the quiet intricacies of the natural world. Her work explores the poetics of botanical life, its sensuality, fragility, and resilience, through a language of expressive mark-making and organic form. This summer we are delighted to be exhibiting her latest collection ‘Petal Tongued’ in collaboration with Wilder Gallery. Here Georgia explores the foundations of her artistic journey, her proudest moments, and how the landscape of Thyme influenced her painting for this show.
Can you tell us about your artistic background and what drew you to exhibit at Thyme? ]
It really started in childhood, I would paint and create a lot. I later went to UAL, Chelsea to study Fine Art and ended up with two incomplete degrees, one for English Literature at UCL and one for Fine Art - so I guess this makes me largely self taught. Despite knowing it was something I loved doing from an early age, I was very uncertain and fearful about how to develop a meaningful practice.
I moved to Barcelona in my early twenties and it was there that I began a daily studio practice again. It was a wonderful few years of my life where I felt totally free to experiment and immerse myself, away from anyone or anything else I knew back home. Looking back, I’ve realised how influential that period of time was in particular Gaudi’s Art Nouveau lines in his architecture, and Miro's isolated forms. I then moved back to the English countryside where I lived in relative isolation for two years and began to develop my technique in oils. I found great solace in the landscape of home and the colours in the seasonal changes of the English landscape. This confluence of experiences led me to create the work you see today.
The exhibition at Thyme is particularly resonant, as a lot of my forms are inspired by English flora and fauna, so there is a natural kinship between my work and the beautiful gardens and landscape that Thyme sits within. The Tithe Barn has a certain luminosity and calm energy - these are two things I hope to convey in my work. So it feels an especially apt place to be exhibiting.
2. How would you describe the philosophy you're exploring through 'Petal Tongued'?
The title Petal Tongued was inspired by an essay written by the poet Mary Oliver where she cites: "I found my language in the things still growing”. Since the works in this show span from 2024 - 2025 it captures an ongoing process of observation and work making. It speaks to the attunement of my own voice and visual language as a response to nature and the emotional observations it can provoke within. There is a sense of unfurling movement in the title denoting that these works are a part of my artistic journey.
Mary Oliver is a poet who I often return to as a guide, someone who learns deep emotional wisdom from close, consistent observation and time spent in nature and then finds her place within it with great humility. She speaks of a natural world that’s worth protecting not only for its beauty but for its ancient knowledge, and how we too are a part of it.
3. Which materials and techniques are you working with and why do they feel right for the story you're telling?
I paint predominantly on wooden panels, this was born from necessity at first as when I was starting out, I couldn’t afford big canvases and my dad would make panels for me from scrap pieces of wood. I then learnt to use oil paint in thin glazes working in layers over a number of days which enables me to create transparent veils that compose the delicate petalled moments in my work. I find wood gives me a beautifully smooth and flat surface for the oil paint to glide across and the two elements combined feel deeply satisfying to me. The oils give me the freedom to create transparencies, gentle brushy textures but also rich and various colour tones. The contrast between delicate leaves and flowers with my rigid opaque stems speaks to the natural world, both hard and soft.
4. How has being immersed in the landscape and ethos of Thyme influenced your painting for the show?
For this show there is one site specific piece which is in green monochrome, when I first visited, the vibrancy and variety of green was inescapable. It is titled Capacious Green - which speaks to an eden-like space; generous, abundant and fertile. It was wonderful to understand Thyme's dedication to seasonality in what they are growing, as well as their conservation efforts, both things I have deep respect for and feel resonant to my practice.
5. What's the proudest moment of your artistic career to date?
It’s very difficult to choose just one, my first solo show with Wilder Gallery in 2024 was a big moment for me. To be given the opportunity to create a dedicated body of work and exhibit it in London, was certainly a dream of mine. Since then, my work has led me to many wonderful places around the world, most recently, to make work in the California desert, and prior, a residency in Mexico City. It’s a collection of experiences, the people I meet along the way, conversations and wonderful opportunities to exhibit at amazing places such as Thyme, that combine to make me feel proudest of my artistic journey.
In a less public-facing sense, the moment I got my own studio in London was incredibly meaningful to me as it cemented my belief in my practice. Stepping into my space each day, into a world of my own making, where I can get lost, is so incredibly gratifying.
ALL WORKS ARE AVAILBLE TO PURCHASE. PLEASE Contact BOUTIQUE@thyme.co.uk TO ENQUIRE.
