Becky Boston is one to watch- with an exhibition at Gallery 320 currently, Eunice Jera Lee catches up with her at the opening of her show.

25-year old artist, Becky Boston is a spunky Stockwell native whose paintings caught the eye of Gallery 320 owners. After winning the competition ‘Mindsoup,’ her work is exhibiting at the space for a month. Her paintings are a colourful range of oil and acrylics for sale- prices start at £250. We catch up with her at the opening day of the show:

Tell me a little about your new work.
The collection that I have exhibited at Gallery320 are figurative portraits of the people who inspire me in my life that I see day to day, or in some cases I just stumble across. These include intimate relations, voyeuristic observations, beauty and my surroundings.

How long does it take to complete a piece of work for you?
Anything from three hours to three weeks.

What are your greatest inspirations for your paintings?
As a figurative artist..it’s all about capturing a mood or an aspect of a person’s character. As well as being inspired by great artists and musicians. Kitty Daisy and Lewis, Joan Jet, Ed Ruscha and Francis Bacon are to name a few.

How much do the women in your life play into your pieces?
I have had so many positive female influences in my life which definitely feeds into my work and the community which I feel part of. It’s important to me but I don’t see my art as having an exclusively gay perspective as that would be very restrictive as there is so much more to life.

How did this exhibition at Gallery 320 come about?
The owner of the gallery runs an annual competition ‘Mindsoup’ which gives an opportunity for aspiring artists like me an opportunity to hold a one man or women show and I was lucky enough to have won the competition this year to exhibit in his gallery for a month for free, I am grateful for his support.

Are you working on any exciting projects we should know about?
I would really love to do a collection inspired by cultural American themes and return to Oklahoma where I studied.

I heard you sold some paintings, which ones did you sell?
I was very happy that I sold two paintings, a watercolour of my sister Rachel blowing a smoke ring, and then the other of two girls sunbathing inspired by a visit to Sitges last year.

Photography: Sophie Allen
Words: Eunice Jera Lee