ABOUT.

Makenzy Beard is a Welsh portrait artist who earned international recognition from a very young age. Makenzy began painting during the COVID-19 lockdown at the age of 14, turning to art when her school and sporting activities were paused. Working in the garden shed with old brushes and paint, she quickly discovered a natural gift for portraiture.

After displaying work at the Royal Academy Summer Show, Makenzy went to work alongside a gallery in Cardiff where she held multiple sellout solo-exhibitions.

During this time she featured widely in the media, including The Times, BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, ITV News, Sky News with Alastair Stewart, The Times Radio where she discussed her work and inspirations.

Now eighteen and out of formal education, Makenzy is building a new collection of paintings at her studio on The Gower.

She says “For the last two years, painting has been on the back foot whilst I prioritised my academics, however, I’m now ready to put my all into painting and really try and make it in the art world. I feel the first step of doing this is to produce some work that I’m proud of and want my name to be attached to. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

Makenzy plans to continue using her painting to make a difference, having raised over £45k for charity since her painting journey began.

She says “There’s no excuse to not be kind or to not be the person you want to be in every second of the day. I want my generosity not to be defined by a single large gesture when I’m older, but part of who I am. And that means starting now. That means trying to help others regardless of what position I’m in.”