FEATURED MAKERS LUNCH JITKA PALMER JUNE 1st 2019

FEATURED MAKERS LUNCH

JITKA PALMER

JUNE 2019

We have been delighted by the response to the Gallery's featured maker lunches and the informal two hours we spend together have proved informative with considerable insight into the creative minds of our guest makers.

This month it is a pleasure to have Jitka Palmer  with us. Jitka has been showing at Bevere almost as long as we have been specialising in ceramics. She is a constant observer of people and places and her many sketchbooks are translated into her pots which always draw attention and are much admired.  Her painterly decoration is redolent of her Czech heritage. This is very much three dimensional art.

Find out more by booking your place for the lunch which will be held on Saturday 

1st June between 1200 and 1400. Tickets are £15. Ring Bevere Gallery on 01905 754 484 or by email on enquiries@beveregallery.com

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THE MAKER'S LUNCH JOAN AND JACK HARDIE 4 MAY 2019

I remember when we began this monthly programme of Makers Lunches, I had some concern that we might find successive discussions about ceramicists and their work somewhat repetitive. What these entertaining lunches have demonstrated is that the creative drive and approach to making pots is underpinned by the personality of the maker and their perception of the world around them and everyone is very different. Joan and Jack Hardie, whom we were delighted to have with us this month, epitomise that.

Joan and Jack  aim to make ceramics that are inspired by natural forms and have a sense of life and movement. 3D printing with clay makes it possible to create ceramic forms that embrace these aspirations which are not achievable by other means.

They started making pots together nearly 50 years ago and unusually for mature makers have become heavily committed to using technology to develop their making and thinking about pot design. This time with them gave us the opportunity to explore the path which  led to their adopting computer printing as their preferred approach.

The two hours of discussion were truly revelatory. Few of us have a detailed insight into the amount of intellectual effort as well as ceramic skills required to produce original and interesting computer printed pots. Five years ago they became aware of the potentialities of computer aided design and printing and spent a long time exploring and experimenting – to some extent their journey still continues as new ideas are developed and implemented. It was certainly evident that the notion that the use of the computer was simply a matter of pressing the start button and lo and behold  you have a pot, is naïve and simply wrong, It is the ceramic skills that the Hardies clearly have and their earlier technical backgrounds combined that serve them well.

They made their own printing equipment and they brought with them fascinating illustrations and a video which demonstrated the making process. Although their work is exhibited under their joint names, in fact Joan emphasised that individual pots were identifiable to one or the other – at least to them!!

They were aware of the controversy that computer printing generates  - perceived by some as not craft – that is, not emerging directly from the hands of the maker. Their view is that printing is no more than another process as is casting from moulds, slab making, coiling or throwing for that matter. Underpinning the process is a detailed understanding of the properties of clay and decisions about the use of specific clay types, design skills both in terms of creativity and the technical ability to use and manipulate design software to produce vessels that would be impossible to produce by hand.

During the course of discussion, it was increasingly evident that Joan and Jack had a high level of intellectual curiosity that could only be appeased by their exploration of the technical challenges presented by 3D printing. If you would like to know more about the processes do look at their website – www.printedpots.co.uk

This was a highly enjoyable Makers Lunch providing open and frank exchanges which confirmed for everyone, including Joan and Jack, the value of engaging and open discussion over an excellent lunch.

Thank you to everyone.

Stuart Dickens

Ceramic Curator

06/5/2019

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MAY & JUNE IN THE GALLERY 2019

This is the major feature exhibition which marks the start of summer. Let us hope that the weather supports this.  In the event of a lack of sunshine, then for sure this group of featured makers will bring light, colour and creative energy into our lives.

I am really pleased to have two South African potters, who have not shown at Bevere for some time, back in the Gallery. Clementina van der Walt is based in Cape Town Her aesthetic inspiration is drawn from the patterns, colours and textures in the urban African and rural landscapes – applying techniques of press moulding, casting and throwing. She sees her pots as an antidote to the pressures of a digital age and so do I. Her work adds a lot to the pleasure of sitting and eating at the table.

 Hennie Meyer works in Durbanville and his ceramics  are made predominantly in earthenware, creating highly individual pieces. Hennie enjoys the challenge of making composite shapes, experimenting continually with the expressive qualities of clay and glaze. Having Hennie and Clementina together in the same exhibition is a real pleasure.

James and Tilla Waters partnership combines James’s making skills with Tilla’s love of colour and design. Their practice is rooted in the production of thrown tableware, using both stoneware and porcelain clay bodies. They think it’s important that each piece feels nice in the hand, works well and looks great. Good to have their fine work back at Bevere again been absent for too long.

Joan and Jack Hardie aim to make ceramics that are inspired by natural forms and have a sense of life and movement. 3D printing with clay makes it possible to create ceramic forms that are not achievable by other means. They combine art, craft and technology to explore fascinating new possibilities. We have shown the Hardie’s pieces here for some time and they are a constant source of interest.

 They will also be talking with is at the Makers Lunch to be held on Saturday 4th May

Victoria Eden is showing at Bevere for the first time. We saw her work  at Ceramic Art London 2018. Her work is highly original and demonstrates her technical skills which enable her to translate her imaginative thinking about people and their environment. I will certainly be interested to hear whether our visitors respond as we did at CAL..

Jitka Palmer has been showing at Bevere almost as long as we have been specialising in ceramics. Her painterly decoration is redolent of her Czech heritage. She is a constant observer of people and places and her many sketchbooks are translated into her pots which always draw the attention and are much admired. Here work is the epitome of three dimensional art. Delighted that she will be joining us for her Makers Lunch on 1st June. 

Stuart Dickens - Ceramic Curator

Also featured are Paintings be John Harris and Zoe Taylor

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