Bethan Harris came to VARC straight after she graduated from BA Fine Art at Newcastle University. Her practice responds to representations of place through a meditative and intuitive approach to drawing and mark-making. Visually inspired by the landscapes that surrounded her, Bethan’s work combines elements of both rural and urban environments, capturing the subtle interplay between structure, space, and atmosphere.
Throughout her studies and continuing into her residency, Bethan explored the intangible qualities of nature—light, gravitational pull, and magnetic fields—translating these unseen forces into intricate lines, layers, and gestures. Her detailed linework often evoked architectural forms, mapping out imagined or remembered spaces that blurred the boundaries between observation and intuition.
During her two-month residency, Bethan worked directly in response to the Northumberland landscape. Immersed in the changing light and colours of the rural environment, she produced a series of drawings that reflected her contemplative engagement with place. Among these works was a large-scale landscape created with Unison Colour pastels, a medium that allowed her to explore the vibrancy, texture, and immediacy of colour in nature.
Reflecting on her experience, Bethan wrote:
“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be an artist in residence with VARC at Highgreen this summer. Over the course of my time there, I absorbed the vast and beautiful landscape of Northumberland, taking inspiration from the sky with its immense spectrum of colours and its interaction with the land. My chosen subject matter lends itself to using pastels as a medium due to their vibrancy and texture. I have explored this by creating expressive and gestural marks whilst replicating foliage which interacts with areas of light and colour. I hope to go forward using these techniques which continue to inspire my practice.”
As part of her residency, Bethan also facilitated a collaborative drawing workshop for children and families at Bellingham Heritage Centre in August 2022. The event invited participants to engage creatively with the landscape through shared mark-making activities, encouraging observation, experimentation, and play.
Bethan’s residency was part of VARC’s ongoing collaboration with Newcastle University’s Fine Art department and its LifeWorkArt programme, offering recent graduates vital space and time to develop their practice at a formative stage in their careers.
