Bevere Graduate Award Winner - Jewels Williams

We at Bevere Gallery, were delighted that Jewels won the Graduate Award 2011 its always been
our belief that she puts a little bit of herself into each and every one of

her pieces which come across in the strong shapes and delicate but emotional
decoration.  We are looking forward to working with Jewels throughout 2011.

Following a meeting in the cafe with Jewels last week, we have discussed
further a collaboration for the next year, including her working in our
Stable workshop for a couple of weeks over the summer, where visitors can
come and chat to Jewels and see her make her porcelain pots.  Once these
dates are finalised we shall be adding them into the Stable Workshop
programme which will be detailed on our website.  Jewels is constantly
producing new pots so hopefully we will always have some on show in the
gallery.

Jewels says

" I work in porcelain. The material is versatile and beguiling and I enjoy every aspect of every process from inception to completion.

At each stage the porcelain changes, from sensuous softness, through chalky mattness to its final ceramic form. This evolution is completlely absorbing but it is the sofness of the clay when thrown or stretched which I find particulaly hypnotic and drives me to repeat the process again and again.

I have always been fascinated by two things, the sea and mud.  Once I discovered I could combine both in a creative way I was hooked.

 I grew up looking at France from my bedroom window; the window was, for a small child fairly high so the view that punctuated my world was the line between sea and sky.  Just about everything I make tries to describe that line.

 That explains the coastal stuff but why mud?

Mud is a child’s best friend.  It is warm, soft and malleable in summer, hard and keeps its form in winter; clay has the same properties but so many more possibilities.  Porcelain is clean mud!

Winning the Bevere Gallery Graduate Award 2011 is fantastic, they are known as a serious ceramics Gallery promoting a wide diversity of work, to be given their support and validation is amazing.  I am really grateful to them for selecting me for the Graduate Show and to the public for voting for me".

GRADUATE SHOW 2011 - LAUNCH

A Note from Stuart Dickens our Ceramic Curator

Kim Chesters and I have jointly curated this annual show and I guess we find this one of the most exciting events in the gallery exhibition calendar. There is a real buzz that comes from bringing together the talents of new artists and makers in what for some will be their first commercial gallery experience. We have also found that our regular visitors are stimulated by new and distinctive voices that we hope will continue to develop and flourishTHE GRADUATE SHOW 2011

.

The most commonly asked question is - ‘How do we select the exhibitors?’ Clearly there is a strong element of personal taste but there are some more tangible criteria for selection:

·       Maturity of voice and style

·       Craft skills

·       Visual impact

There is another important criterion – the dreaded C word. Is the work commercial? We make no apologies for including this factor as the hope of selling the work is the most important feedback for the artist/maker as well as the gallery.

For a long time, we have felt the need to support new and emerging talent and there is a significant number of graduates whose work we have continued to promote and feature in exhibitions.

This year we are asking visitors to the show to select their favourite exhibitor. This has encouraged people to take more detailed interest in each maker as well as adding some fun to the show. The most favoured graduate will be getting a year’s support from the gallery – promoting their work offering help and advice etc.

We feel that this year’s Graduate Show is one of the best and judging by the response of our visitors they agree with us.

The Graduate Show got off to a great start on Saturday.   Gallery visitors, Graduates and their friends and families  enjoyed the diversity of this exhibition and arrived steadily throughout the day.

THE GRADUATE SHOW 2011

THE GRADUATE SHOW

Annual event showing work work of 2010 graduates
Exhibitors....
Joanne Throp – Ceramics – UCLAN
Edward Baldwin – Ceramics – Cardiff
Alex McCarthy – Ceramics – Cardiff
Beth Gibson – Ceramics - Cardiff
Ruth Prescott – Ceramics – St Martins
Ewelina Mruk – Ceramics – Stafford
Ita Drew – Ceramics and Drawings – Hereford
Jewels Williams – Ceramics & Paintings – Hereford
Sarah John – Ceramics – Plymouth
Tania Clarke – Ceramics – Plymouth
Jeremiah Allman – Ceramics – Bath Spa
Daniel Roberson – Painter – Aberystwyth MA
Rosemary Fahimi – Printmaker – Aberystwyth BA
Laura Hunt – Printmaker – Aberystwyth BA
Jake Lazzari – Metal – Hereford
Emily Cross – Ceramics – Bath Spa
Fleen Doran - Ceramics - Cardiff

An exhibition showing great diversity of work from Graduates selected by our Gallery team who visited University shows throughout the country

New Creations - October Exhibition 2010

The October Exhibition this year shows three potters and two artists

 John Higgins, Dave Boddy, Martin Wasson and Stuart Dickens

In the Bevere tradition of diversity and quality, this group exhibition brings together the architectural pots of John Higgins, the fine porcelain of Ivar MacKay, the trompe l’oeil of Martin McWilliam and an interesting juxtaposition of ancient and modern in the work of Jason Wason.  It was good to meet them and the launch of the show on a sunny day  at the beginning of October

 On the Walls there are paintings by  two interesting colourful artists.  Both new to the Gallery

Anita's Christmas Show 2010

We are delighted to have 'Anita's Designs' back this year with her amazing seasonal decorations and wonderful flower arrangements.

  Do come and see 'Anita's Christmas Stable -

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10.30am - 4.30pm

POT OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER 2010

CURATOR’S CHOICE

POT OF THE MONTH

Mark Dally's Platter

This month there is a wide range of beautifully crafted pots in the Gallery’s Christmas Show.  In some ways choosing just one is objectively difficult and so I am responding to a piece which has a powerful aesthetic appeal for me and hopefully everyone who has a chance to experience this work at first hand will make a similar connection.

Mark Dally has to be one of the finest decorators in studio pottery. His patterns are strong and vibrant and each stroke displays innate confidence, visual awareness and a designers focus, which will have been honed during his first and Masters degrees in Ceramic Design at Staffordshire University.

This platter is a fine example of his work. It brings the pot to life and whilst it is clearly a ‘busy’ design it has that sense of completeness that is the hallmark of the master decorator. Hope that you enjoy it too.

POT(S) OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER 2010

 Curator's choice
POT(S) OF THE MONTH

MARTIN McWILLIAM

This is the first time that we have shown the work of Martin McWilliam at Bevere and it has been such a pleasure to exhibit these distinctive "Trompe-l'œil" pieces. Each one has much to commend it however, in a group, they give as much pleasure as a Morandi still life. It is common to talk about volume and the heft of the pot but in this case the pieces generate, through skilful modelling and shading, a presence which is beyond the space they occupy. "Trompe-l'œil" by definition is presenting as real that which is far from real – an optical illusion. This is high craft and Martin has the acute eye which is essential in the making of such compelling work

Stuart Dickens