MIDLAND POTTERS' ASSOCIATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

  Many potters and visitors enjoyed being the first
to







view the work of 19 members of
the Midlands Potters' Association on Saturday at the launch of this  special Anniversary Show which celebrates 30 years.

 This exhibition was supported by  Prints and
Pastel Paintings by David White

We were especially pleased to welcome Henry Sandon to the Gallery

POT OF THE MONTH - April 2010

Each Month our ceramic curator Stuart Dickens selects a pot which he feels has particular merit and this month Jill's very large Bird Jug is his choice.

Jill Fanshawe Kato’s work is distinctive and in a style which is redolent of her training in Japan - a country which she clearly loves.
To Jill birds are the embodiment of freedom. Not surprising therefore that, following a degree in Painting at Chelsea and Pottery in Japan, everything she makes in clay reveals this affinity. Travels in Mexico, Hawaii and frequent visits to and exhibitions in Japan, all add their influence in her use of colour, decoration and form.

This style of jug is beautifully designed and the line of handle and spout is an elegant signature to all the jugs in this series. It was Jim Malone that said that jugs need to strut and this jug has real presence. The decoration in panels set on unglazed clay is particularly affecting and reminiscent of techniques used by Josiah Wedgwood.

A Host of Golden Daffodils in the Gallery Garden

The Garden is now open

for Gallery visitors to wander at leisure and view the spectacular scene of the wild Spring Daffodils and crocus spreading over the lawn under the old oak tree with ceramic sheep sculptures looking on

 Late but definitely worth the wait



Also enjoy a short walk through the canopy of laurels as they pass the 100 year old weeping holly











Students enjoying a break during a Weekend Painting and Drawing Class with Valerie Briggs

 

Sculpture Trail 2010 opens on May 29th

The Salt Show- March Exhibition 2010

The Salt Show

The launch,  at the beginning of March attracted many visitors to visit this
  exhibition which demonstrates the growing interest in salt glazing and the diversity of the styles and approaches.

Salt-glazed ceramics were first created in the Rhine Valley of Germany in the 1500s. Whether by accident or clear intent, salt was introduced into the kiln and the resulting ware was coated with a glossy, pebbly, glazed surface. This is what salt-glaze potters call the telltale "orange peel" effect. German immigrants who settled in the United States brought the technology to the US and used it to create utilitarian vessels for storing food and liquids.

Tom White (painter) and

Jeremy Nichols (potter) during the launch.

Modern studio potters using traditional salt processes are working in many areas of the world. The unique salt glaze finish captures spontaneous changes in atmosphere and colour. The method is considered a tool for ongoing experimentation and creativity

 New works from four celebrated Potters using Salt Glaze in this exhibition:-

 Paul Jackson, 
Micki Schloessingk,
Jeremy Nichols
Richard Dewar

POT OF THE MONTH - MARCH 2010

We were delighted to be able to show Michael Flynn’s work in The Gallery's last exhibition. This particular piece generated a lot of interest and is typical of the energy and exuberance that so often characterises his figures.

Catching the Cock shows how well Michael interprets the classical Meissen figurines, which are undoubtedly one of his influences, and yet still produces sculptures which are very much of our day.

This figure is almost alive. The loose potting and painterly decoration gives the work a real sense of movement and purpose. It is this freedom which is so often the signature characteristic of his body of work.

This piece has only been shown in museums before and we are therefore particularly happy to be featuring it at this time.

Clive Bowen's Large Pot Comes to life.

Wonderful everlasting arrangement in the Porch of the Georgian Residence  adjacent  to the Gallery  created by Anita Bufton

Anita's creative flowers  and decorations are always on view and  for sale in the Café Upstairs  

February Exhibition - SPECULATIVELY SPEAKING

  This exhibition has been on for  a week now and is being enjoyed by a great number of visitors.  It is unusual for the gallery to hold a purely figurative event

It brings together six very different celebrated sculptors Mo Jupp, John Maltby, Christy Keeney, Emma Rodgers, Michael Flynn, and Claire Murray and two very special painters Trevor Edmands and John Robinson

 

 

 

Two of our exhibitors John and  Claire  discussing the merits of their work