Hargreave Hale and Worcestershire Ambassadors

Hargreave Hale local Stockbrokers entertained around 40 members of the Worcestershire Ambassadors at The Gallery at Bevere on a lovely warm sunny evening.

Guests were welcomed by Sharon Priest, Investments Manager from Hargreave Hale, in the gallery courtyard, where The Gallery staff was waiting to offer Italian sparkling wine and canapés.

Guests were then invited to stroll around the current exhibitions in the galleries 'Art Europe' - bringing together Ceramicists from eight European countries and on the walls original signed lithographs by John Piper.

Many guests also enjoyed the short stroll to the gardens where they were able to wander through the grassery and canopy of laurels enjoying this years Sculpture Trail.

There was a lot of friendly chatter as the evening went on and just before the close Sharon Priest ¬gave a short talk to these key business people from leading Worcestershire organisations on the benefit of investing wisely however large or small the amount.

Painting Class with Valerie Briggs

A few words from Valerie about her course
"This week sees the start of my summer term of day courses for beginners and improvers in watercolour, pastel and pencils. My classes run regularly throughout the year in the main house in which The Gallery at Bevere is situated.

In the early 1980's I decided to give up work to paint, an easy decision for me and luckily I was fully supported by my husband. As a self taught artist I was quite naive about being self employed and decided to try out college first by taking my art A level, unfortunately due to other circumstances I did not go on to attend a foundation course for fine art at that time.

I was left in a kind of limbo when a kind acquaintance recommended a club for leisure painters and other crafts held on the outskirts of Worcester. I did not really look back after that.

Heather and I can not remember when I started teaching at Bevere, it must of been in the early 1990's, some of my 'students' think that they have been coming to me for that long. In those days we held classes in the Coach House Gallery and upstairs in the well lit attic rooms of the main house. Three flights of stairs carrying half a beach was the norm for me!

These days life is much more refined, working with smaller classes and no stairs. My 'students' are usually mature and range from beginners to experienced artists. I love teaching beginners and have great pleasure watching how they develop over time.

My current classes have no structure and are tailored to the individual students needs, many of whom work from reference material although I do like to encourage them to work outside too.

During the autumn this year I am planning 'Project Tiger' which will probably cover three weeks of the 6 week term. An extra day will be arranged to visit the nearest collection of tigers so that the class can view and sketch from the real thing before attempting a portrait.

One of my class during the spring term agreed to her painting being photographed during the various stages of creation to illustrate one of the various techniques I teach. Lorraine has been painting in oils for years and is a natural artist, she has been getting to grips with watercolour over the last decade.

Lorraine says
"I have been attending Valerie's classes for some years and the time I have spent with her has been very rewarding, with excellent tuition given and above all patience.
I had in mind the picture of the otter and cubs, with Valerie's help with the composition she guided me through the techniques she uses to create a realistic watercolour painting.

Her classes are always enjoyable and companionable, a lovely day out."

' Art Europe'

The Gallery at Bevere’s major summer show was launched on the 4th July.

Two makers who were present – Thiébaut Chagué from France and Aase Haugaard from Denmark enjoyed talking to our many visitors during the “ launch” and also they enjoyed a walk round the Gallery garden and Sculpture Trail

It brings together ceramicists from eight European countries including the UK and
has been designed to compare and contrast.

The work of an individual potter cannot be expected to epitomise the work of a nation’s potters but we have eight diverse examples from the rich tapestry of European ceramics.


We hope that the exhibition"Art Europe" will stimulate and provoke – there is certainly a wide range of work and styles.

The ceramicists come from Denmark in the north, through Holland and Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Italy in the South and the UK.

Those taking part : -

France – Thiébaut Chagué
Germany – Petra Bittl
Belgium – Patty Wouters
Holland – Toon Thijs
Spain – May Criado
Italy – Pietro Elia Maddalena
Denmark –Aase Haugaard
UK – Sebastian Blackie

Pot Of The Month - July 2009

Stuart, The gallery's ceramic curator has chosen Yo Thom's Large Tsubo as July's pot of the month.


"Yo Thom’s work is often to be seen in the gallery and she is most commonly associated with domestic ware.

However, we have had one or two of Yo’s larger pieces and they have a presence and a volume which commands our attention. We know that larger pots are most often bought by clients who have ‘just the right place for it’ and in truth these vessels demand space and status.

The coming together of Japanese and British elements in Yo’s work is an attractive and significant element. The colours are subtle and understated – the pot sits well in any context whilst still retaining its independent spirit – speak of the pot, speak of the potter!"