Born in France in 1992, Beatrice Forshall grew up there and in Spain, before moving to live in the UK in 2005, mostly in the wilds of Devon. Nature has always informed her work, and her printmaking revolves around the species and themes central to conservation.
Forshall trained at Falmouth College of Art in Cornwall and specialized in dry point engraving in her last year. Writing on technique, she says, ‘I like the graphic quality and detail that can be achieved. From working into the metal, to inking the plate, the rolling of the press; there are many different things that contribute to the final image and as well as those I can control, there is also an element of surprise.’
During her residency with ASCP in 2018, Forshall worked with CCI Partners including BirdLife, F&F, IUCN, TRAFFIC and other colleagues in the David Attenborough Building, to develop a series of prints of Red List and other species that were threatened by trade. Natural history drives her depictions, with each animal or plant concerned surrounded by images that reflect their ecology, associations, and the threats they face.
Inspired by this work and the CCI community, Forshall published The Book of Vanishing Species in 2022. She continues to exhibit and speak regularly on the arts and conservation.
