THE CURATORS VIEW JANUARY 2018

 The Gallery's Annual Graduate Show which is being held throughout January  2018 is now open  and all the work is on the website http://www.beveregallery.com  and available to purchase online

 As regular visitors will know, the Gallery is completely emptied and then devoted entirely to our selected exhibitors from the 2017 crop of graduates. This year has been a good one and we have fourteen makers, including a textile artist, who together will make for a stimulating show. Indeed, I know that you will tell us if you don't share our view.

 It has always been one of the popular events of our year. There is an appetite for the new and this is one of the opportunities to see what direction ceramics is currently taking. The list of makers covers a nationwide range of university applied arts departments, including for the first time Limerick, where the Head of Ceramics is Mandy Parslow whose work is featured at Bevere.

We are not saying that these are the best graduates from the last year – that would be an extraordinarily bold and somewhat reckless claim – however these are makers that impressed us on a number of levels – technical skill, originality, quality and visual impact. The latter is important as we know that our view of art and craft is so often shaped by our first contact with the work. Visitors, as always, will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite graduate. The one with the most votes will be represented by us during 2018 and if your name is pulled randomly from the usual large number of voters,  you will get a £100 voucher to spend at Bevere.

I have purposely avoided naming names – they will all be on the website – so as to not show favour to one maker or another. The choice will be entirely yours  - based on what you see in the show. Surfice to say, we are delighted with our short list this year and hope that you will be too.

Stuart Dickens 

Ceramic Curator

MAKER'S LUNCH TIM ANDREWS 2nd DECEMBER 2017

Given the popularity of the Maker's Lunches during 2017, it was particularly satisfying to have arranged, by popular demand, a lunch with Tim Andrews  to end the year on a high note. We were most grateful for Tim making the journey from his home near Exeter to be with us.

Tim was apprenticed to David Leach in Devon before attending nearby Dartington Pottery Training Workshop and eventually returning to share Leach’s studio. He is now based in Woodbury. The issue for me is that this early experience was a major contributor to the range of skills that Tim clearly possesses. Once again we see a classic  example of the essential relationship between skills and creativity.

The latest work from Tim represents so much of what we associate with this master potter - quality skills, subtle decorative techniques and such elegant design. Tim talked about a wide range of issues but emphasised from the outset that he saw his and every other maker's work in the historical context of pottery making over several millennia. There was considerable interest in found shards of ancient Roman and Chinese pots which he had gathered over the years.

Tim talked about and responded to a number of questions about his approach to raku firing. It was clearly the physical intervention in the firing process that fascinated him rather than the attenuated wait for extended conventional firing. He talked about the design of his vessels and the need for them to stand well with an evident presence.

Tim emphasised the significance of his early years with David leach and at Dartington. This was the crucial period when he developed the range of skills which he felt were essential to express his creative thinking.

During the lunch a wide range of topics came up including the changes that there had clearly been in the ceramic market over the last decade, the equally significant changes in the teaching infrastructure of ceramics and the limited opportunities for acquiring the range of skills which he had clearly gained in his early years in making professionally.

There was a very positive feel at the end of the lunch with a shared view that the two hours together had provided so much insight into the working ethos of this eminent maker and the wider ceramic sector.

MAKER'S LUNCH 3 NOVEMBER 2017 DAVID AND MARGARET FRITH

It was a pleasure to have two highly respected makers joining us for lunch. David and Margaret have been making together for over fifty years and notwithstanding the passage of time they continue to be creative and curious about possibilities.

They spent considerable time with their pots talking about the making process and their inspiration. What emerged very clearly was that their undoubted craft skills were learnt through making significant amounts of domestic ware in their early days,  which meant repetition throwing and precision. It is their combination of skills and creativity that continue to drive their not inconsiderable output.

They are aware that it is increasingly difficult for makers to earn a living as they have done throughout their professional lives. Increased costs, changes in the market and public taste are all impacting on makers.

They related many anecdotes about their experiences here and on the continent where they travelled and sold work when they were young. Interestingly coming to terms with the different cultural status of ceramics in various countries was an issue we talked about at some length.

What clearly drives both of these fine makers is the desire to make – yes, selling is important to pay the bills but making is at the heart of every aspect of their lives together. As Margaret said at one stage – it may be fifty years but we are still learning.

It was a tremendously stimulating experience enjoyed by all of us.

THE CURATOR'S VIEW November/December 2017

 

THE CURATOR'S VIEW

November/December 2017

We have brought together a group of makers to end the Bevere year on a high note. David and Margaret Frith have been making their pots together for over fifty years. Notwithstanding that long time, they continue to enthral with their decorative innovation and their concern never to stand still. There is a freshness of approach and an ability to surprise which remains with them both still and long may they continue. I am also delighted that they will be featured in our Maker's Lunch to be held on 3^rd November.

Claire Seneviratne produces raku vessels which have a wide appeal. Her first show here was a great success and her pieces were admired and purchased by many of our visitors. Her smoke-fired pots are first fired in an electric kiln, sometimes she partly glazes them and may add a metallic lustre. Then one at a time they are surrounded with oak sawdust which slowly burns around them in an incinerator. The sawdust creates beautiful markings and subtle shades and colours. 

Tim Andrews is a master raku potter with a reputation for quality and innovative design whose work has been exhibited all over the world. We have always enjoyed having his fine work in the gallery as in many ways he is the definitive raku potter. So many of his pieces have that centrepiece quality which would enhance a table or a windowsill anywhere. 

Another new maker to Bevere is Hilke MacIntyre.  Hilke was born in Germany. She studied architecture at the College for Art and Design in Kiel and worked for various architects until she moved to Scotland in 1995. Since then she has concentrated on printing, painting and ceramics, combining a simplified figurative style with bold shapes, strong colours and abstract patterns. Her work is widely exhibited in galleries throughout Britain and has been selected many times for the annual show at the Royal Scottish Academy. It is her ceramics we will be showing this month and I am sure that her original graphic and sculpted pieces will produce many a smile.

Stuart Dickens

24.10.2017

Maker's Lunch - Barry Stedman

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MAKERS LUNCH

7 OCTOBER 2017

BARRY STEDMAN

One might be forgiven for thinking that regular meetings with ceramicists would eventually lead to predictable responses and recurring themes. Not so. An enjoyable two hours with Barry Stedman demonstrated once again the different ways in which makers become engaged with ceramics and that the what of their work is  an infinitely variable  aspect compared with the more prosaic issues about how work is produced.

Barry was in his thirties when he began to engage with ceramics after ten years in retail. He had always been into drawing and painting but for him the combination of clay and painting was an irresistible combination. He was a successful student at Harrow – Kyra Cane, our guest last month was one of his tutors. He has been making ever since and his genuinely abstract decoration has become a recognisable voice in ceramics. He also works two days a week with Edmund de Waal supporting the glazing and firing of Edmund's output. Barry's work couldn't be more different and he has tried  - successfully I believe – to maintain his own voice despite working with Edmund since leaving Harrow.

Barry sees his work changing over time. Colour range is more restricted and we are seeing in his latest pieces what looks like a combination of charcoal and marking that is redolent of abstracted landscape.

He was very open about the pressures of professional life as a ceramicist and the need to balance workload with creative energy and avoid over production with perhaps inevitable consequences. What was evident however, was that he had no regrets about his courageous decision to change career for a much more volatile environment. The lunch with Barry was a very good example of how intimate, open conversation can be revealing, insightful and importantly a really enjoyable experience.

Next month we are having David and Margaret Frith joining us for what should be yet another stimulating experience.

OCTOBER FOCUS 2017

Featured potters -
Sara Moorhouse
Masazumi Yamazaki
Barry Stedman - Maker's Lunch October 7th
Supported by over 40 Studio Potters, Original Paintings, Fine Art Hand Crafted Prints, Jewellery & more.

Fri, 6th Oct 2017 - Wed, 1st Nov 2017

 

Sara Moorhouse has exhibited at Bevere before and wherever her work appears the 'wow' factor is always evident. There are some makers who have that immediate impact and the use of colour and banded decoration leave no one indifferent to her technically brilliant and stunningly presented work.

Masazumi Yamazaki has lived and worked in Wales for quite a time now, but there is no sense in which his strong oriental influences have been dissipated by his Celtic environment. His figurative ceramics are always amusing and even shocking. Prepare for both!







Barry Stedman may have been a studio assistant to Edmund de Waal but his painterly abstract vessels bear little resemblance to Edmund's aesthetic. Barry has always been a popular maker – his vessels are three dimensional paintings that benefit from time and contemplation. Delighted to have him back at Bevere. 

MAKERS LUNCH REPORT- SEPTEMBER 2017 KYRA KANE

It was a great pleasure to have Kyra Kane join us as our guest to this month's Maker's Lunch.

Kyra had her first show at Bevere in 2016 and it was very well received then. She has exemplary skills evident in her finely thrown porcelain pots. Once again, we are seeing porcelain as the ultimate clay body for tactility and luminescence. Her vessels are elegant and have great presence.

As we anticipated Kyra, with a reputation as a fine teacher of ceramics, is an articulate speaker who gives real insights into the development and expression of her creative drive. She prefers to use porcelain – difficult as it can be to work with – as the 'canvas' for her pots and she talked about the importance of brush choice in the decorative process and the use of black in all its shades to enhance her vessels.

She also talked about the volume of her pots and the importance of the inner as well as outer dimensions of each bowl.  She particular likes using Limoges porcelain and although less physically able, as handworking clay has taken its toll over the years, enjoys making large vessels. Although using black for decoration, she introduces colour such as yellow which brings fresh nuances to her pots.

It is the physical act of making – and making that meets her expectations rather than others – that brings her immense pleasure. Such is her creative drive that she can never see herself not making  - whatever the scale or form may be in the future.

At the end of an engrossing two hours together everyone left with a smile – it was that kind of experience..

October's 'Lunch with the Maker' is with Barry Stedman on Saturday October 7th contact us for more details and to book your place.

Curator's View September 2017

Whether you see September as late Summer or early Autumn this month's featured makers will prolong the sunshine.  All three makers have shown here before with some success and I have no doubt that together they will provide an admirable contrast in both technique and creative style.

It is a pleasure to have a fine group of Claire Murray's original figurative sculpture. They will make you smile but also reflect on the inner self which is redolent of so much of her work. I see that she is now using more colour in her work and this adds to the dramatic qualities of her quirky pieces. There is literally no one else making work like this and I am sure that these figures will generate considerable interest and comment.

 

Sylvia Holmes has not had a group of pieces here for a while. Her admirers will recognise her decorative technique which is abstracted with subtle uses of colour and brushwork. She combines layers of texture, line and colour to create rich, evocative, tactile surfaces on simple thrown or hand-built stoneware pieces.  This is simply three dimensional abstract painting.

Kyra Cane had her first show at Bevere in 2016 and it was very well received. She has exemplary skills evident in her finely thrown porcelain pots. Once again we are seeing porcelain as the ultimate clay body for tactility and luminescence. These vessels are elegant and have great presence. Kyra is a well known teacher of ceramics and I am delighted that she will be with us at this month's maker's lunch to talk about her work and her creative inspiration.

Clearly there will be much to enjoy this month and I hope that our visitors will agree.

THE MAKER'S LUNCH 5 AUGUST 2017 -RICHARD MILLER

   Richard is showing here at Bevere Gallery for the first time. His wood-fired stoneware is distinctly decorated and although inspired by the Japanese ceramic culture in which he has spent some time, he likes to make functional pots that create a dialogue with each other and indeed with us.  I have handled a vast number of pots over the last fourteen years, but I can remember none like these vessels,  which, I have to say, benefit from close study – there is a lot to take in.

Seen en masse you might be forgiven for thinking that these are identically decorated pots – their primary distinction being shape and function. The benefit of listening to Richard talk about his creative drive and making processes is to understand that every pot  - large or small  - has a provenance based on  his British Guianian heritage. His father came from Guiana and his mother from Wales. The cliché 'every picture tells a story' is no cliché in this case, Richard knows the origin and meaning of each of the myriad images he reproduces on his vessels.

He is deeply interested in the history of the British Empire and the contribution of peoples from many Empire nations to the UK and its institutions. His pots are an interesting mix of delftware and contemporary studio pottery. This adds to the sense of the past embedded in each and every vessel.

It would be difficult to spend two hours with him without reference to his role as technician on the Great Pottery Thrown down series. He provided an insiders perspective on the programme and there was acknowledgement of the stress and effort required to support the competitors. He also talked about the tile making company which he acquired when it was closing and turned it into a successful business.

So – in summary -  we were greatly entertained by this charming and articulate potter. It was another example of how our appreciation of pots is significantly enhanced by understanding 'the what' rather than 'the how'.

Thank you Richard for a stimulating experience and I am confident that I speak for all those that attended the lunch.

 Stuart Dickens - Ceramic Curator

The Curator's View August 2017

There are a number of reasons to look forward to this month's group of featured makers. Two of our exhibitors – Mark Smith and Petra Bittl have been immensely popular on previous occasions and I am delighted that they are showing here again. As is often the case, there is a marked contrast in style and making processes which makes the show that much more stimulating.

The work of Mark Smith, as his followers know well, is inspired by the sea and coastline. His decorative sculptures are redolent of the marine world in colour and his use of materials. Ships, boats, wrecks, beach huts and houses are the main focus of the work, all textured with raised and indented objects that have an indication of our industrial past. He has a bottomless well of creativity, as is manifest in the distinctiveness of each new piece.

Petra Bittl has always made an impact when her work has been shown here. Her sculptural and organic pieces have sophisticated decoration and tactility.

 There are always surprise pieces that are an expression of her creative energy and unique perspective. What I personally like about Petra's work is her ability to produce large-scale sculptural pots alongside small-scale pieces using entirely different making techniques. 

As I have often said, creativity has to be underpinned with high level making skills to be effectively expressed and Petra's skills are self-evident.

Richard Miller is showing here for the first time. His wood-fired stoneware is distinctly decorated and although inspired by the Japanese ceramic culture in which he has spent time, he likes to create functional pots that establish a dialogue with each other and indeed with us. 

Some will be familiar with his name as he was the technician in the last Great Pottery Throwdown TV series

. He is also joining us for the August Makers Lunch – sorry all places now taken up – and we anticipate an interesting and good humoured two hours with our guest.

MAKER'S LUNCH - 30th June 2017 - CRAIG UNDERHILL

Craig has been showing his abstract expressionist pots at Bevere for many years. We are pleased to have  a group of his latest pieces and for the first time a number of his paintings. I have used the term abstract impressionist because of the spontaneity of his decoration and the use of mark making. There is no better person to talk about his work than Craig himself and it was a particular pleasure to have him at Bevere for our Makers Lunch  to talk about the ceramics which we are currently featuring and to discuss his approach to making.

The intimacy of the lunch and the ability to discuss ceramic making in an informal and comfortable setting facilitated a  rich and insightful discussion. Whilst he does not eschew theoretical analysis of his work, what emerged from the discussion was the basic truth that what you see before you in every piece is the essential spirit of the maker. The development of Craig's work over time is, then, likely to be a manifestation of the development of his persona – not some conscious decision to take the work in a new direction.

Craig gave an interesting perspective on the ceramicist as painter and the different approach demanded by two and three dimensional working. He clearly enjoys both and long may he continue.

The purpose of the Makers Lunch is to encourage relationships between the maker and those wanting to learn more about individual makers and the broader aspects of studio ceramics. We have been much encouraged by the Lunches held so far and it confirms our view that the gallery has a wider remit than simply putting the work for sale on a plinth.


Thank you Craig and each of the participants for making it a really enjoyable time together.

The next   Maker's lunch will be with  RICHARD MILLER, 

The technician from 'The Great Pottery Throwdown' on Saturday 5th August

Curator's View July 2017

The Bevere Gallery Featured Maker programme gives us the opportunity each month to enhance an already high quality range of studio ceramics. Someone recently asked me how we choose the makers we show here. In truth, we have to have an emotional response to the work. Whilst quality and individuality is important, It is the impact on the senses that registers most and hopefully we will have struck the right chords with this months makers.

The maker here for the first time this month is Justine Allison. She is clear that her work addresses the boundaries between function and decoration; looking at objects that are used on a daily basis, like the form of a jug, and creating pieces that move away from function and are more concerned with the aesthetic and the visual. She works in porcelain and the luminescence that the material brings to her work adds to its attractive qualities.

The last time Rowena Brown showed her extraordinary groups of ceramic houses they were sold out. They have great character and an atmosphere that is derived from their colours and texture. She raku fires her pieces and this gives them much of the distinctiveness that they display, as well as adding to the presence of her pieces. I believe that the appeal of her work is not just the originality,  but the response we  all have to the man-made landscape.

Craig Underhill has been showing his abstract expressionist pots at Bevere for many years. We are pleased that we will be having a group of his latest pieces and for the first time a number of his paintings. Craig will also be the focus of our Makers Lunch this month and I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to explore his approach to making as well as his influences and what sparks his creativity. Do book a place at the lunch which is being held on Friday 30 June, as they are invariably stimulating and enjoyable events.

Curator's Comments on June in the Gallery

The gallery philosophy of contrast and diversity in ceramics is evident in this month's three featured makers – indeed more so than most. Each of thse ceramicists brings a refreshingly different perspective to the clay object as a work of art. I do not want to get into the art /craft debate but there is little doubt in my mind that it is artistic creativity underpinned by high level craft skills that is the measure of quality.

The maker new to Bevere this month is Midori Takaki.

Born and raised in Japan but currently living in Canterbury,  Midori's work is clearly Japanese in influence with a strong emphasis on the figurative with  the shades of folklore and legend. She had aspirations to be a writer from a very young age and now sees ceramics as a vehicle for telling the many stories running through a vivid imagination. Above all else, this work will make you smile. We have always welcomed Japanese makers into Bevere as they bring such different cultural perspectives.

Martin McWilliam has shown at

Bevere on several occasions and he is another who always surprises with the inventiveness of his work and his use of texture, contrasting clays and found pieces. Exploration is a key word here. His pieces often have a strong archaeological feel as some of them manifest objects found within the clay.  Trompe l'oeil has been a feature of his ceramics for a number of years and his large and small 'vessels' always excite interest.




Debbie Barber is here again.

She will also be with us in person as she will be at the Maker's Lunch planned for 2nd June – do try to get a ticket if you would like to talk with her about her work. We anticipate once more being enchanted by her beautifully hand decorated raku vessels. She has such a good eye and deft  artistry. Many people find it difficult to appreciate that every pot is hand painted and personally I never cease to admire the surety which is demonstrated by her imaginative and elegant decoration.

So there we are;  another group of makers who demonstrate so well why we believe in the power of studio ceramics to bring light and joy into our lives.

Stuart Dickens
Ceramic Curator

MAKERS LUNCH 2 JUNE 2017 DEBBIE BARBER

It was a real pleasure to have Debbie Barber join us for this months Makers Lunch not only because her fine raku work is widely admired, but because I have been an enthusiast since first seeing her work about three years ago. She was delighted to be back at Bevere again and to be featured along with Midori Takaki and Martin McWilliam.


During the time spent in the gallery before lunch, Debbie explained the process of 'naked raku' and how her extraordinary decorative technique was developed. Her original work in textiles was evident in the patterning and her love of medeival design. What is important however is that all her designs are deftly transcribed in the making process.

Debbie's creative drive will always ensure that her approach to making will develop over time and she is currently beginning to experiment with the use of a wider colour palette. It was generally agreed that the dilemma for all makers with a distinctive voice is that change in a sense runs counter to the very reason why their work is so popular. However, it is  nevertheless that creative spirit and necessity will prevail and alternate series of work will be developed.

Debbie has robust quality control. She has to feel very positive about a piece before it is allowed on the market. This was evident  given the comments about the tactility, shape and burnished finish of each pot. What emerged very clearly was that the pot was the 'canvas' for Debbie's expression of ideas around pattern and decoration. At the moment she felt that she had taken the naked raku technique about as far as she could..

Once again the Makers Lunch was a memorable experience and one that combined learning more about individual making and creativity with eating excellent food over a leisurely lunch– what could be better!
Stuart Dickens
Ceramic Curator
4 June 2017
 Next MAKER'S LUNCH with  CRAIG UNDERHILL  on FRIDAY JUNE 30th
 for more details and to JOIN US Tel 01905 754484

Maker's Lunch with DEBBIE BARBER- Friday 2nd JUNE 2017

 

Debbie Barber is one of our featured makers for June, and we are delighted that she has agreed to visit the gallery to discuss her new body of work and chat over lunch.

Debbie is a ceramic artist who specialises in raku and smoke fired ceramics and works from her home studio in rural Leicestershire.

Her art and design training was in textile decoration and embroidery. After ten years, she changed course and returned to college to train as a potter having a lifelong interest in ceramics. She retains her influences from her textile background.

She loves pattern and colour and takes inspiration from the natural world – trees, plants and the birds in her garden and the surrounding countryside.

Visitors are asked to arrive for Noon and we should be finished by 2pm, depending upon discussions over lunch in The Stable.

Tickets are £15 per person and we have a few remaining places available. Please telephone the Gallery on 01905 754 484 to reserve your place.