Curator's View - August 2013

The high temperature and humidity has created a somewhat languid mood in us all, however at Bevere we try hard to create a different and hopefully refreshing look each month by showing diverse and contrasting studio ceramics.

This month sees the return of makers we have long admired and a potter who was one of the standout exhibitors from the Cornwall Show last year.

CHRISTIANE WILHELM 

is a German ceramicist from Munich

 Some of you will remember her pieces when they were shown in our German Show in 2010. Christiane’s vessels have a presence created through high level skills and elegant design. They are tactile pieces which combine traditional and contemporary sensibilities. It is good to have this fine work back in the gallery and I hope that you will like it as much as we do.

PETER BEARD is a doyen of British studio ceramicists. Earth and Fire and was very well received.

This group of pots shows his technical prowess and his design skills. Peter and Christiane have been friends for a long time and I know that they like to show together. The contrast in their work is stunning and Christian’s monochrome pieces sit so well alongside Peter’s often complex decoration. He has recently shown at in the gallery at Rufford concurrent with

CHARLOTTE JONES was one of over forty makers in the Cornwall show last year and many will remember her bowls

which are so redolent of the landscape in which she lives and works. She is a maker completely at one with her environment and you will find it hard to resist picking up these delightful pieces.

CHRISTY KEENEY  is arguably one of the best known and admired of

ceramic sculptures. His deconstructed figures are Christy’s distinctive voice and I never cease to enjoy his take on the human form. Artist in clay is a well-worn cliché, nevertheless it is an entirely appropriate description of this talented maker.

We will also be showing new work form CHRIS CARTER

and the sculpting partnership of OSTINELLI and PRIEST.

Hope you enjoy!

THE CURATOR’S VIEW JULY 2013

Before telling you about the new work in the gallery during July, I would like to comment on the Ceramics Now event. We had a good number of visitors who clearly appreciated some of the best makers in studio ceramics. The feedback was universally positive and it was particularly heartening to see the time and focus that so many gave to a fine body of work from our exhibitors. Whilst the on-line galleries and ceramic fairs are important elements in a changing market, we hope that the gallery continues to play an important role in educating and promoting, as well as selling ceramics.

Whilst last month was clearly a high spot in our ceramics calendar, we have endeavoured to bring you new work from makers that will bring you back to Bevere during July. In fact, you can be sure that we will always having something new to stimulate, provoke and give pleasure.

Featured this month are James Oughtibridge, Ashley Howard and Richard Heeley.

James Outibridge has provided a wonderfully crafted feature for the courtyard which consists of two tall sinuous pieces which engage each other in intimate conversation. There are four more of his

James's Large Black Vessel

seductively shaped ceramic sculptures inside the main gallery. I’ve been keen to show James’s work for some time and I know that he will add presence and elegance to the gallery – hope that you agree.

Ashley Howard provides another set of his tea bowls and urns in his inimitable style. David Whiting accurately described him “using tradition and his own idiosyncratic hand to enliven the language of the present, and in so doing, helps to give clay its continuing life”. The synthesis of contemporary aesthetics within a traditional context certainly works for me.

Richard Heeley is new to Bevere and he comes

on the back of an excellent feature in the latest issue of Ceramic Review.  This work is an amalgam of oriental influence, fine draughtsmanship, decorative skills and elegant design. His tea bowls, complete with decorated box and matching paper wrapper for the vessel, show his eye for detail. These pieces are a visual treat.

If these makers are not enough for you, then we have new work from

Peter Hayes, Fritz Rossmann and Keith Varney.

Keith Varney' s Hand built Porcelain

 We are also blessed with a sculpture by young Taiwanese ceramicist Chiu-I Wu which is being shown in the courtyard – I hope that we will have her work in the main gallery next year.

The Ceramics Now show may be over but Bevere continues to truly represent ceramics now.

YOGA IN THE GARDEN

Yoga In the Garden A full day Workshop with Alix Jones In the garden at Bevere Knoll, Worcester Wednesday 12th August 2014

10.00am – 11.45 am     Yoga on the Lawns

11.45am – 1.00pm     Lunch on the Lawns                                                                        followed by time to wander in the                                                       woods and gardens

1.00pm – 4.00pm                  Yoga on the Lawns

Bring layers of clothing and your usual yoga equipment,

Water will be provided

The yoga day will be led by Alexandra Jones, whose emphasis is unwinding tensions and stress through movement , breath work and meditation.  A day to recharged our batteries , with a variety of practices to support body, mind and our spiritual self.

Yoga translates as "to unite" this day will be uniting all sides of ourselves and meeting others in a beautiful environment.

"No previous experience of yoga is necessary, this yoga session is open to all , and inclusive practice  to share.

Alexandra has been teaching Yoga for eight years, in Malvern and London, she runs a yoga centre in Malvern.

The style of yoga is based on the ideas of Vanda Scaravelli.  See my website www.meridianyoga.net <http://www.meridianyoga.net>  for more information.

"I look forward to sharing a wonderful day,   Alexandra"

£45 per person inclusive of picnic lunch from Bevere Café

(If the course leaders need to cancel due to inclement weather, a full refund will be given)

       

To book your place please call Kim on 07770 980 620 or email her at kim@beveregallery.com

Once your dues have been received confirmation will be sent to you

 including directions and parking details

Pot of the Month - June 2013

POT OF THE MONTH

ASHRAF HANNA

SABLE VESSEL FORM

We have chosen this piece by Ashraf Hanna for several reasons. It is one of a number of pots in the current show – CERAMICS NOW - which I have found quite mesmeric. It has great presence; the cushion like quality of the work gives it an ‘otherness’ which I find difficult to define. Secondly, there have been more conversations with visitors to the gallery about this piece than any other. I should also add a statement of the obvious - it is technically superb.

Ashraf’s new vessels are very different from the familiar Hanna sculptural pieces which are tightly controlled and so often geometrically patterned. Here we have the antithesis; organic simplicity, elegance of line and neutral colour with a hint of shading to emphasise the form. Its shape-shifting quality from the rectangular base and vertical to the ovoid body is nothing less than alchemical. This is hand building of the highest order – and yet how it is made is irrelevant. This is ceramic art at its finest.

You will surmise that Stuart, our Ceramic Curator is smitten with this wonderful object – you would be right!

Mid Month Message from Our Ceramic Curator

DON’T MISS THIS ONE!

Only two more weeks before the end of Ceramics Now - if you haven’t yet been able to see this show and are looking for the best in contemporary studio ceramics, then try to visit before the 29^th June.

All those who have visited so far have commented on the range and quality of the show. I was delighted with the look of the exhibition from the outset. It was particularly satisfying to see, for example the luminescent wood-fired pots of Clive Bowen sitting comfortably alongside the outstanding new work of Ashraf Hanna. Ashraf and I have had many conversations about showing at Bevere over the last few years and at last he is here with his stunning vessels which are the product of his time at the RCA undertaking an MA. We have had so many comments about these pieces and they clearly appeal to people of all tastes.

Another talking point has been the completely new style of pot now being made by Gabriele Koch – long admired for her elegant smoke fired and burnished pieces. The black pots with white porcelain inlays make striking punctuation marks in an exhibition which has quality written all over it. This is the ceramic lovers ‘Desert Island’ show.

Incidentally, I am also delighted that one of the exquisite John Ward vessels has been sold to the Director of an eminent art museum in the USA. Good to know we are on the international map as well as confirming what we already know – John Ward is a world class ceramicist.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the fine outdoor ceramics which are now in the newly developed Gallery Outback and will be showing June through August. The scale and undoubted quality of this work, most of which feature as part of the Ceramics Now show, makes these vessels and sculptures ideal focal points, even in the small garden. Whilst I am reluctant to single out individual makers, I am in awe of the technical skills involved in the making of some of the huge pieces we have on show. Try to make time for a visit ‘Outback’ as well as the main gallery.

Do come and see for yourself before the show closes or indeed come again and enjoy the experience one more time.

Stuart Dickens

Ceramic Curator – 16 June 2013

Ceramics Now

 

"CERAMICS NOW" AT BEVERE

Bevere Gallery was proud to celebrate the CPA’s 50^th Anniversary with an appropriately prestigious show involving some of the best studio potters. The Gallery is now pleased to be taking part in an event which is the first of its kind for the CPA and the four participating galleries. CeramicsNow will simultaneously show the work of some sixty CPA members across four galleries – ourselves; New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham; The Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool and the Contemporary Ceramics Gallery in London.

We are excited about the twenty four makers that will be showing at Bevere both inside and outside –see below. There is a wonderfully diverse mix which should excite wide interest. We believe that the gallery remains an important vehicle for the promotion and sale of studio ceramics; a view which is shared by the participating galleries. Our role is to educate, stimulate and respond to change in positive ways that maintain momentum in the market. Importantly, we should enthusiastically and knowledgeably promote the work of the country’s finest craftsmen and women.

All aspects of cultural life are subject to the vagaries of fashion and public taste – and studio ceramics is no exception. Today’s collector is much more eclectic; responding to the objects that evoke a response whether it be intellectual, emotional or aesthetic. The Shock of the New is still a powerful stimulus to makers, gallerists and committed buyers – we should embrace it in the knowledge that renewal and reinvention is essential to a healthy ceramic culture and infrastructure.

In the Gallery: -

Charles Bound, Clive Bowen, Ross Emerson, Annabel Faraday, Ashraf Hanna, John Jelfs, Jude Jelfs, Chris Keenan, Gabriele Koch, Tony Laverick,
Jane Perryman, Marie Prett, Georgia Shearman, Craig Underhill and John Ward.

Bevere Gallery

In the Courtyard and NEW Gallery Outback:-

Nigel Edmondson, Alan Foxley, Peter Hayes, Karin Hessenberg, Wendy Hoare, Kate Mellor, Christine-Ann Richards, Jim Robison and   Kathy Shadwell.

Gallery Courtyard

Gallery Out Back

Sculptures in OutBack

BEVERE GALLERY/ ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Bevere Gallery Arts Award

in association with The Royal Grammar School, Worcester

MIKE BROMAGE CERAMIC AND PAINTING TO BE AWARDED

TO GCSE AND A LEVEL ART EXHIBITION WINNERS

Bevere Gallery is working with the Grammar School in Worcester in an effort to champion the Arts at GCSE and A Level and widen the audience for the School’s arts initiative.

RGS Worcester has a thriving Art Department, with highly experienced teachers covering a wide skill set. This ensures the production of high quality, creative work by the pupils and excellent exam results year on year. The school is keen to build on this excellent infrastructure to further support the work of the staff, excite pupils and demonstrate to parents and prospective parents that RGS has a superb Art Department.

The Annual Art Exhibition

The annual Art Exhibition in June features GCSE and A Level work pupils have produced. For the A Level students this is the culmination of a two-year A Level course and provides the portfolio of work necessary for moving into the art industry after school.
The winners of the awards will be chosen by Bevere Gallery representatives and announced at the end of the Student Graduate Show in July. Each winner - one at GCSE Level and one at A Level - will be presented with an Arts Trophy that will then remain within the School in the Trophy Cabinet.  Each winner will also receive a painting that they will keep.

The Trophies
The two Trophies are the work of Mike Bromage, artist and ceramicist, whose unique contemporary style will excite and encourage aspiring artists. Mike’s work demonstrates that, even in a world crowded with many craftsmen and artists, there is still ample space for original and provocative work.