Anna Beam is a creative from Baltimore, Maryland, currently based in East London, where she cracks away at her incredibly multidisciplined art practice. She moved from the US to the UK to study embroidery at the Manchester School of Art and doesn't seem to have looked back since! As well as her own makers practice, Anna is also a member of Clay Collective and ATC studio, two groups of makers that gather and work, support and showcase each others work.
Anna’s practice is rooted in collage, also spanning the realms of textiles, printmaking, drawing and ceramics. She also runs a small online shop, where she sells her limited run editions of printed and hand-made accessories, prints and ceramics. Every single item is inspired by the doodles she makes in her ever-present sketchbook, which she then makes completely by hand. For Anna, the satisfaction lies in the creation of an object from start to finish. This feeling keeps her making, always rewarded by the tactile process of planning, constructing and assembling her pieces by hand.
Scrolling through her Insta, we get glimpses at glorious soft pastels and strong brights, combined with expressive and abstract Memphis-esque brushstrokes and patterns. These vibrant pieces are balanced out by her minimalist ceramics in solid, blocky colours that give a two-dimensional effect.
Some of our favourite products of Anna’s are the little blue half-moon wallet made from heavy-duty mesh with a satisfying chunky zip, and her series of silhouette ceramic stoneware vases where she tricks us with a 3D image that appears 2D.
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