Brush and Pen Exhibition, Hop gallery, Lewes. 5th - 17th March 2009

Now that we are moving into the Spring and warmer weather it is time to get out and about again. There are lots of exhibitions coming up and one to definitely see is Brush and Pen, an exhibition of watercolour paintings and pen + ink drawings by Robert Tavener.

The exhibition is at the Hop Gallery in the centre of historic Lewes and runs for 2 weeks from 5th March to 17th March 2009.

Robert Tavener (1920-2004) is well known for his printmaking but throughout his career he also explored watercolour painting and pen and ink drawings. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see his relatively small number of paintings and drawings, many of which will be available for sale.

Thurs 5th March -Tues 17th March 2009
At The Hop Gallery, Castle Ditch Lane, Lewes, East Sussex. BN7 1YJ
www.hopgallery.com T. 01273 487744

Organised by Emma Mason British Prints www.emmamason.co.uk

T. 01323 413555

Open Daily 10.30-5pm
Sunday 1-5pm

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Life Work Facility in Fife

The Steeple is a stunning new arts facility in Newburgh, a beautiful town in the north of Fife, Scotland. The building was formerly Newburgh town hall and has been beautifully restored providing six studio spaces, a project/exhibition space and a visiting artists flat and studio. The visiting artist accommodation and studio are now available for hire and all applications that last between one and three months are considered. This would be a perfect opportunity for someone wishing to develop and devote time to their practice in a new environment.

For further information about costs and applying please click here

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St Jude's in the City - Ends Thursday

St Jude's In the City

Despite heavy snow and transport cancellations St Jude's exhibition at the Bankside Gallery (next door to the Tate Modern) seems to be getting on for a sell out show. (although I think they are sending out for more prints, so a visit wouldn't be a waste of time).

St Judes in the city shows the work of mostly print-based artists - Angie Lewin, Mark Hearld, Jonny Hannah, Jonathan Gibbs, Alice Stevenson and Christopher Brown as well as Letterpress items from Hand and Eye Letterpress, Clothes by Old Town and Vintage furniture upholstered in Angie Lewin Fabrics.



It's a great show, with a good selection of artists who are proud to be doing what they are doing without blindly following trend, and who have an eye to the history of art and printmaking whilst moving it on.


If you haven't made it yet you've got till Thursday to do so. You can look at some work on their website but it does all look better in the flesh.

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Wills Lane Gallery - St Ives

(Wills Lane Gallery - and passer-by!)

Wills Lane Gallery is an institution in St Ives - when run by Henry Gilbert (Gilly) it was gloriously ramshackle. In it's heyday occassional Nicholsons, Scotts or Hiltons were displayed alongside more modern artist's work, usually just lent against walls rather than hung on them. Laterly the building had fallen on harder times with damp and leaks threatening the art and the then octogenarian Gilly opening irregularly.

The new curator - Petronilla Silver, who is a former Director of the Contemporary Art Society - has transformed the space into a light and modern gallery for the new century. She's spent some time seeing to the fabric of the gallery, repairing leaking roofs and has opened up the upstairs to give a second large light gallery.


The gallery is very different the old Wills Lane but is now a bigger and better space with a refreshed selection of top notch artists and Petronilla herself is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic curator. Her policy is to show nationally known, and up and coming fine and applied artists. Exhibitions change regularly and it is obvious that the gallery now has a renewed purpose and direction bringing the best contemporary and thoughtful artists to the end of England.

When we were there there was an exhibition of prints by Ana Maria Pacheco,

amazing volcanic ceramics by Aneta Regel Deleu...

Black and White Photographs by Ander Gunn...

handwritten text drawings by Irene Lees and textiles by Ismini Samanidou...

Thrown porcelain pots by Mick Arnold....

and paintings by Richard Cook... (amongst other artists and makers)

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Valentines show at Castor and Pollux

Al heighton joined us last year as one of our print makers. Al's work sits between a child's and and an adults world, often with mixed messages peppered with wit, and a little bit of romance.
His blog makes an interesting read too. http://alheighton.blogspot.com/http://www.alanheighton.co.uk/images/about_txt.png

See all of Al's prints here http://www.castorandpollux.co.uk/category/artists/al-heighton/

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Votive Offerings, Fairy Godmothers and the Placebo effect

Alison Milner is the 3rd? recipient of the Craft Central 'Reflect Forward Award' which allows artists/makers to examine and interpret work from museum collections, working towards an exhibition at Craft Central. Alison has been working with the Welcome Trust Collection.


Votive Offerings, Fairy Godmothers and the Placebo effect
Ceramic artworks exploring the relationship between medicine and belief

Originally trained as a furniture designer, Alison Milner has achieved recognition for her exceptional visual language and stylish interior products.

Given access to the thousands of scientific and medical items that make up the Wellcome Trust’s Collection, Alison’s new works were inspired by some of the unusual objects she encountered. Cell-like ceramic trinkets and internal organs are her modern day take on the earthernware breasts and body part votive offerings collected by Wellcome. The countless bottles of pills and medicines promising all manner of cures led Alison to consider the placebo effect and her highly desirable ceramic medicines are designed to stimulate the power of the mind. As a centrepiece to the exhibition is a provocative installation reflecting on the DNA lottery and the potential of genetic editing,a collaboration with a science glass laboratory consisting of 54 different glass flasks for a piece called Genetic modification.


This ‘craft’ take on modern day quackery has resulted in a poetic and quirky collection of objects showcasing Alison’s attractive aesthetic.

The Reflect Forward scheme enables contemporary craft practitioners to produce cutting edge new work and promotes the use of museum collections as a rich source of inspiration.

The exhibition runs from 25 February – 21 March 2009, Wednesday – Saturday, 12 – 6pm (Free Admission) at Craft Central, 33-35 St John’s Square, London EC1M 4DS

Alison will be giving an Artists Talk on Wednesday 4 March, 6pm start (booking required)


(Photography by Steve Speller)

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Craftastrophe

(Sock Monkey dress by Rebecca Yaker)


Exhibiting at some craft fairs a few years ago we ungallantly dubbed certain of our best customers as 'Craft Victims' because they rather over-did the look - all handmade clothes, knitted accessories and papier-mache jewellery.

Thanks to Dan Thompson for pointing this website out - Craftastrophe - because handmade isn't pretty - which documents what can happen when craft goes too far! (Although some of the posts seem perfectly OK to me)
OK I surrender - this post 'unicorgy' has just been pointed out (over 18's only and not if you're eating) - it's just WRONG!

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Stoneman Graphics

Linda Stoneman - Stoneman Graphics - has taken over a beautiful light and large gallery (Hilton Young Gallery) at 10 Chapel Street, Penzance, where she sells a wide range of fantastic prints from some of the best post war 20th Century artists, printed in collaboration with the artists by her husband Hugh at the Stoneman Studio at Madron Penzance which he set up in 1995 after moving from Islington.

(Terry Frost)

Many of the artists are local Cornish (but world class) artists/printmakers including Breon OCasey, Sir Terry Frost, Patrick Heron and Sandra Blow but Hugh also worked with artists from all over the UK and the world including Eve Arnold, Hamish Fulton, George Shaw, Ian Mckeever, Eileen Cooper and Gayson Perry.

(Terry Frost)

The shows at the Gallery change every 2 months but the exhibition we saw at Christmas featured masterly bright colourful shimmering woodcut prints by Terry Front and the bold graphic work of Breon O'casey.
Penzance after many years being the poor relation to St Ives in terms of galleries is now well worth a special visit with 4 or 5 top class private galleries and many more public galleries and collection in Penzance and Newlyn. Well worth a day wondering and buying. (buying prints enables buyers to an original piece of work by a world class artist at an affordable price)


Breon O'casey(Bryan Pearce)

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Julia Mills Gallery

During our freezing Cornish break at New Year we popped into Julia Mills gallery and workshop to restock some of Sarah's prints.

Julia's gallery is a whitewashed beachhouse type building Porthleven slightly out of the main bit of the harbour and shopping a little up hill over the town - and well worth walking up and round the corner.

One side of which is her workshop where makes her stained glass panels and hangings. The other side is the gallery which stocks local and national artists and makers. (Rugs by Annie Sherburne above)

(Shelagh Spear ceramic figures)
Julia has plans to refresh and redo the gallery over the winter so we'll have to come back in the spring to see what new work and makers she has. Julia's assured Sarah that she can stay!


(glass panels by Julia and boats by Victor Stewart Graham)

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St. Judes in the city - Exhibition at London's Bankside Gallery

Our favourite Norfolk gallery, St Judes is moving to a new space, but in the meantime you can see a selection of the artists at the Bankside Gallery from Tuesday.
The exhibition of printmaking, collage, fabric and illustration will feature Christopher Brown, Jonathan Gibbs, Hand & Eye Letterpress, Jonny Hannah, Mark Hearld, Angie Lewin, Old Town and Alice Stevenson.

The exhibition will run until Thursday 12th February 2009.

http://www.stjudesgallery.co.uk
http://www.banksidegallery.com/

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