Natasha Ratcliffe, UK

3 BUDOCK TERRACE

FALMOUTH

CORNWALL TR11 3NB

ENGLAND

E- mail: natasharatcliffe@hotmail.com

Qualifications:

2004: BA Fine Art- First Class Honours (Falmouth College of Arts, UK).
2001: Foundation studies in Art and Design- Distinction (Oxfordshire School
of Art and Design, Banbury, UK).
2000: A-Levels- Art (A), Design Technology (A), General studies (B), French
(C) (Ormskirk Grammar School, UK).
1998: GCSE’s- Art (A), Design Technology-Resistant Materials (A*), French
(A*), Maths (A), Science (AA), English (BA), English Literature (B), Spanish
(B) (Ormskirk Grammar School, UK).


Artistic achievements:

2005: Awarded ‘New Medalist’ by the British Art Medal Society. The first
artist to receive this new award. Over 12 months it involves opportunities
to study overseas, in this case Bulgaria. Also gaining experience at the
Royal Mint, research through the coin and medal department at the British
Museum, London, and keeping close connections to the contemporary art medal
world.
2004: Cuhaj Prize for Young Artists, Presented at FIDEM 2004 Conference,
Portugal. ‘Les Gardiens de Nuit’ Bronze medal. (One copy purchased by the
Royal Coin Cabinet, Sweden. One copy purchased by the British Museum,
London).
2004: B.A.M.S student medal project, Best Satirical Medal. ‘The black Spot’
Bronze medal. (One copy purchased by the British Museum, London).
2003: B.A.M.S student medal project, Fattorini Prize, 2nd grand prize.
‘Atlas’ Bronze medal. (One copy purchased at the Royal Academy

Summer Show 2003).


Group Exhibitions:

2004: 25th Oct-Dec. FIDEM XXIX Biennial. Sexial, Portugal.
2004: 17th July-14th August. ‘Superlative 4’ (Plymouth Arts centre, UK).
2004: 22-26th June. 3rd year degree show (Falmouth College of Arts, UK).
2003: Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show (London, UK).
2003: 7-12th June. ‘Upstairs’ (Falmouth Arts Centre, UK).
2003: January. ‘Midstream 1’ (Falmouth Arts Centre, UK).
2002: June. ‘Upstairs’ (Falmouth Arts Centre, UK).
2001: Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford, UK).




BULGARIA 2005

My knowledge and experience working in the field of medallic art, as well as
my body of work, can largely be attributed to my time spent in Bulgaria.
Working under the wing of one of the most significant Eastern European medal
artists, Bogomil Nikolov, and with his students at the art academy in Sofia,
I had the opportunity to stretch my limited experience in producing medals
to new heights, over a month living in Sofia.

Working in inspiring locations, with quick and spontaneous techniques that
were new to me, I was able to experiment more freely, pushing my abilities
and my thoughts in new directions. Using plaster moulds, created from
casting plaster, re-working, re-casting, I learnt to improve on initial
forms. Taught to be aware of composition, trains of thought, and
conversations. I truly became aware of the importance of positive and
negative work, and the way in which your eyes see an object and idea. Some
of my most successful work began as an experiment, a silly thought, and grew
and grew.

Cast into brass using sand moulds, further work and patinering turned the
medals around again, I watch them shift and change with excitement. Nothing
quite turns out how you expect. It taught me far more than I expected.

My work continually attempts to be playful, yet beautiful, and every one of
my 23 or so medals that were born in Bulgaria over the month I was there,
happened because of where I was, the things I saw, and the very friendly and
inspiring company I shared my time with.

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