Ceramic Curator' View of July in the Gallery

THE CURATOR'S VIEW

JULY 2018

From a Curator's perspective, this year has been a  particularly stimulating one so far and I have to say that this coming  month is an exceptional one even by Bevere standards.

Walter Keeler needs almost nothing to be said by way of introduction. He is one of the great British potters whose making and design skills are supreme. Not only is it good to have his work at Bevere once again, we also have the added bonus of a Makers Lunch with him on Friday 6 July. Book now to avoid disappointment and to hear Walter talk about his life in ceramics and the making of the pots that we will have on show.

It is also good to have the work of New Zealand born Raewyn Harrison back in the Gallery again. She is inspired by a love of architecture, history and a less conscious, but no less important, fascination for tidal landscapes. She uses a wide range of making and decorating processes which produce original pieces with a strong storyline.  

The first new maker to the Gallery this month is Matt Davis. Matt is at the cutting edge of current design and making technolog 

y. His computer aided design vessels are fascinating objects which redefine the traditional in a 21^st century language. Controversial his approach may be but his work cannot be ignored.

We have an additional Featured Maker for this month and I am delighted to welcome the work of the German potter Christiane Bernstiel to Bevere. Her father was the eminent Bauhaus potter, Otto Lindig and there is no doubt that the Bauhaus influence is evident in her fine work which is characterised by her sculptural shaping of pots and the simplicity of decoration. In her own words, she focuses on each individual pot and the border between use and sculpture. This may well be the first time that her work has been seen here in the UK. Notwithstanding her heritage, she has her own voice and it is a privilege to be showing her pots this month and beyond.

You will now understand why I feel  this year has been such an exciting and stimulating ceramic experience. Come and join us!!!

Stuart Dickens 

Maker's Lunch with Walter Keeler on Friday 6th July

MAKERS LUNCH

       CAROLYN GENDERS

       1^st June 2018

It was a particular pleasure to welcome Carolyn Genders as our Featured Maker guest. Carolyn has shown at Bevere several times over the past years and as always it was good to have her work back in the Gallery.

Once again, Carolyn's group of newly made pots contrasted strongly in making techniques and decorative styles with other featured makers, providing a stimulating show for all tastes.

Carolyn has an established reputation as a maker and teacher producing intriguing and colourfully decorated vessels from the small to the very large - although she now makes mostly smaller pieces. From my perspective, I have always seen Carolyn as a three dimensional painter. An artist who has adopted clay as the most effective vehicle for carrying her work. For her part, she has worked with clay since she was a young child, so in many ways her high level decorative skills complement her facility with clay and its potential.

Reference was made to two stimulating books by Carolyn on inspiration and decorative approaches – Sources of Inspiration: For Ceramics and Applied Arts and Pattern Colour and Form; Creative Approaches by Artists.  Writing these works enabled her to take time to think about her creative drivers as well as those of other well known  makers and artists.

It became clear during our conversation that Carolyn's ' decorative voice' has emerged over a number of years. It was also evident that her decorative style was much looser than the pattern derived style of some 15 to 20 years ago.  The largest of the pieces in front of us showed that a wide range of decorative techniques had been employed on the one pot.

She spends considerable time sketching and developing her decoration.  Essentially, she started each piece with a clear vision of what the finished piece would look like. There is no sense in which the Genders' approach is standing still and we will see her decorative approach develop and change over time.

Although Carolyn produces a wide range of paintings and prints she is in no doubt that her prime focus is on the making of clay vessels. It was evident that her love of clay iis deeply felt and that is why she prefers hand building rather than throwing as it reinforces the sense of each piece as a product of the hand.

These were just a few of the many issues discussed during the two hours over lunch and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the stimulating interaction. Many thanks to Carolyn for her major contribution to this event.

LUNCH WITH WALTER  KEELER - FRIDAY 6th JULY

Stuart Dickens

Ceramic Curator

2 June 2018

-->