THE CURATOR'S VIEW- APRIL 2014

Spring marks a new season for Bevere Gallery. Not only is there exciting new work, but Easter also brings the opening of the first of three shows in the Gallery Outside over the summer months.
Art for Outdoors will reflect the philosophy of the gallery. We have selected outdoor work by twelve makers who demonstrate a singular voice and high levels of craftsmanship. Each show will have a distinctive character. All the work will be for sale. It is our hope that, over the four months, visitors will see how art can enhance any outdoor space and bring with it as much pleasure as the art and craft that decorates the home. I am looking forward to the opening of what should prove to be a stimulating series of events.

 Carolyn Genders will be one of

the featured makers in the first show and we will be seeing three of her fine outdoor pieces. This work that will bring light and colour to any space can be seen at the opening on 19th April. Concurrently, we will also be featuring a new body of work from Carolyn in the gallery. We are particularly fortunate to have this work as her workshop was recently overwhelmed by a landslip.

Jin Eui Kim is a ceramic artist,

originally from South Korea. Jin graduated from Cardiff School of Art - Design with an MA and PhD in Ceramics, during which he studied the illusory effects of the application of black through to white to three-dimensional surfaces. If that sounds a little academic, wait until you see the wonderful pieces of this fine maker. This is the first time we have shown Jin’s work and I have no doubt that it will generate considerable interest. It would be good to have your feedback.

We are also showing a new body of pots from master potter Chris Carter.

I have written much about Chris over the years and his work never ceases to stimulate. I am reminded why ceramics are such an important aspect of our cultural life every time I hold one of his pots in my hand. This new group will be very different from the last pots we showed a few months ago. Chris never ceases to create new shapes and textures even though he has been a professional potter for over forty years.

Barry Stedman has many admirers as evidenced by his previous sales in the gallery. His use of colour in the abstract decoration of his vessels is one reason why his work has captured our visitors’ interest; the other is the presence which his decoration generates, whether they are tea bowls or his larger pieces.

Whilst we have themed shows from time to time, it is the featured maker programme which is designed to provide vivid contrasts in style and technique and to reinforce the incredible range and diversity of ceramic art and craft. If you enjoy the shows as much as we get pleasure from setting up each event, then we will have done our job well.
I have also had confirmation that we will have new work from  Bridget Drakeford

 and Emily Myers.

This will be a special month for all those who love ceramics of the highest quality.

 Stuart Dickens

THE CURATOR’S VIEW – March 2014

An EXHIBITION OF THE LIFE OF ERIC JAMES MELLON- AN ARTIST POTTER-

This tribute is a celebration of a fine artist and a good friend of Bevere Gallery.

It is still difficult to believe that one of the original voices of ceramic art is no longer with us. Eric James Mellon died on January 14^th and to commemorate his life we are holding a small exhibition of his ceramics and prints. This is all we have available at the present time but we hope to be able to show a larger body of work later in the year. He was a good friend and will be long remembered for his innovation, unfailing creativity and good humour.

I am delighted that we are showing the work of Lowri Davies

 for the first time as a featured maker. Her distinctive work brings together contemporary and traditional influences. Lowri’s Welsh roots are at the heart of her craft. She is aware of the Welsh heritage that is Nantgawr and Swansea potteries as well as bringing her skilful draughtsmanship to her decoration. Her work is guaranteed to raise a smile - a ceramic harbinger of spring no less!

Graham Williamson  brings high level craft skills to functional ware and this is evident in his latest collection to be shown at Bevere. The use of unusual colour combinations combined with that tactile quality we associate with well-designed pots will please many of our visitors.

Alex McCarthy is one of a number of Graduate Show alumni whom we have continued to represent. He is showing a new body of work

which demonstrates how talented makers mature and develop over time. The pieces are of consistent high quality and the use of lustre trickles, as he calls them; add a luxurious feel to each vessel.

As always, we try to bring diversity and contrast to the gallery. Enjoy.

Stuart Dickens - Ceramic Curator

THE CURATOR'S VIEW - February 2014

After the buzz and energy generated by a popular and successful Graduate Show in January, we know that February is always challenging. Nevertheless, I believe we have met the challenge with a group of makers with contrasting and striking approaches to their work.

This month we are delighted to welcome for the first time,Maria Wojdat whose elegant designs and the use of vibrant colours will undoubtedly bring light to the darker days of winter. Colour has become one of the features of the current market. Different colours evoke different moods and provide decorative exclamation marks. This work is beautifully made and I hope that you enjoy her work as much as we do.

 Clare Crouchman has exhibited several times before, but I particularly like the direction she is now taking her wall pieces  Those that have had a glimpse of these pieces have been impressed and also acknowledge the successful transition and development of her work.
. Those familiar with her work will remember the symmetry of her pattern making. What we now see in what she calls the ‘Tree Series’ is more organic with a striking use of tree imagery.

Thomas Hopkins – Gibson exhibited in one of our earlier graduate shows. He is an unusual maker as he works in clay and wood. His ceramic decoration also reflects wood grain and his work was very popular. It is a pleasure to have Thomas back here again and to see the way in which he has developed since we last showed a body of his work which must be about two years ago now.

His talent was recognized in a show in America of Scottish made craft and as a result landed a contract with Calvin Klein - good news indeed, but clearly an added pressure for any studio potter.

I have already expressed the gallery’s sadness at the news of the death of Eric James Mellon. We have decided to hold a small show of his fine work next month to commemorate the life of an exceptional artist/ potter.  Try not to miss it.

Stuart Dickens

ERIC JAMES MELLON

ERIC JAMES MELLON 1925 – 2014

An Exhibition to CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF AN ARTIST POTTER

Wednesday 5th Mar 2014 - Tuesday

1st Apr 2014

ERIC JAMES MELLON
1925 – 2014
A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF AN ARTIST POTTER

Eric died peacefully on 14th January 2014. He was one of the original creative minds of studio ceramics, particularly in the field of life drawing and the use of ash glazes in high fired stoneware, as well as being an accomplished print maker and artist. The gallery was filled exclusively with his work for his 85th birthday show and it was a fitting testament to a life of unfailing creativity. He began drawing at the age of seven and continued to draw, paint and/or make pots almost every day of his long life until shortly before his death. The desire to produce beautiful objects never diminished.
This tribute is a celebration of a fine artist and a good friend of Bevere Gallery.

                                                                                      ---------

It is with great sadness that we have heard of the death of Eric James Mellon on 14^th January 2014.

Many of our visitors will remember the wonderful 85^th birthday exhibition we held at Bevere and his determination to be present for every hour of the opening weekend. Those who met him will never forget his unfailing humour and his storehouse of anecdote and observation on an artist’s life.

He was one of the original creative minds of studio ceramics, particularly in the field of life drawing and the use of ash glazes in high fired stoneware, as well as being an accomplished print maker and artist. The gallery was filled exclusively with his work for the 85^th birthday show and it was a fitting testament to a life of unfailing creativity. He began drawing at the age of seven and continued to draw, paint and/or make pots almost every day of his long life until shortly before his death. The desire to produce beautiful objects never diminished.

Last year he held successful exhibitions in Geneva and Paris, indeed he attended the Geneva show in person. Unfortunately he was not well enough to see his work displayed in Paris. We were delighted and proud that the monograph written for his birthday show was reproduced at his request, in the catalogue for the Geneva Show.

Along with many of his admirers, we feel we have lost a true friend and a loyal supporter of Bevere Gallery. His contribution to studio ceramics cannot be overestimated. It has been a genuine privilege to represent him over the last decade and he will be greatly missed.

THE CURATOR’S VIEW – January 2014

I have often wondered why the annual Graduate Show at Bevere is so popular with our visitors. Holding the show in January – the 2014 exhibition is our 8^th – is a lively start to the year and many people come to the opening as an antidote to the extended confinement of Christmas and New Year. Clearly the show is more than just ‘somewhere to go’ in the darkest days of winter. It is also the first time that most visitors will have seen the work of the selected 2013 graduates from universities across the country. They look forward to seeing new, talented makers who for the most part will go on to enrich the diverse ranks of professional ceramicists.

I have been asked many times how we select the graduates for the show given that there are several hundred a year to choose from. Firstly, we are not saying that these graduates are the best of their year; that would be a hazardous statement given the subjective judgements involved. The thirteen exhibitors display the primary characteristics that are shared by all of the makers we represent – ceramic craft skills and a singular voice. The latter is about creativity and self-expression; the determination to produce authentic work and a style that over time will be recognisably their own.

There is another interesting phenomenon, which only becomes apparent from the accumulated experience of several graduate shows. It is the way in which reputations ebb and flow. Wales is particularly strong this year with several exhibitors from Carmarthen and Cardiff. Other leading schools from earlier years are less strong and some, sadly, have closed during this time. It is also a reflection of how difficult it is to maintain high standards over an extended period.
 For our part we have worked hard to ensure that the standard of this annual event is sustained and remains a high spot in the ceramic calendar.

This year’s group are exemplary; I am sure that many will go on to become established names. It would be inappropriate to name names at this point, particularly as we will be offering our visitors the opportunity to vote for the best in the show. Make sure that you get to see the show for yourself – it opens on Saturday 11^th January 2014 – as a taster, here are a few images of the work which will be in the exhibition.

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VALERIE  PRICE-WEST was voted the favourite graduate in the 2013 show. Bevere Gallery is delighted to be showing her work again exactly one year on from that show. Valerie is still very much influenced by the sea and her passion for rowing but those who remember her work last year will see that it has become more abstract and organic. It has been a feature of graduate show exhibitors that their work has undergone significant development over a relatively short period; we hope that the Graduate Show provides some impetus to that process.

 It will be noted that there are three graduates from Carmarthenshire College this year. Valerie is also a graduate from Carmarthen and this is an indication of the quality makers that the college is producing at this time.

Stuart Dickens

Ceramic Curator.

Review from the WORCESTER NEWS Saturday 9th November 2013

Thank you  Worcester News for this feature in last Saturday's issue by Catherine Phillips

" 'IT'S A MINI MASTERPIECE' 

There's Plenty of art adorning the walls of Bevere Cafe 

Catherine Phillips wants to keep a charming cafe a secret but fears it maybe already too late-  the word is out and the word is delightful"

 Read the whole page

 

 

THE CURATOR'S VIEW - November 2013

"Visiting Oxford Ceramics Fair at the end of October provided an excellent opportunity to gauge the current market and the mood of the makers. I was struck as always by the quality of the exhibitors but also the extent to which many had taken their work forward over the last year. The atmosphere was generally optimistic and whilst visitor numbers appeared to be down there was no lack of commercial activity.

 The issues facing ceramics are complex; to blame the economy as the sole driver is far too simplistic. What everyone seems to agree is that, if we do nothing but grit our teeth and hope for a return of the good times, then we will be disappointed and bereft of income.

New designs and approaches from established makers are attracting attention. The new generation of collectors is more eclectic in taste and open to wider possibilities. Makers and galleries need to have greater insight into their markets and respond with initiatives that stimulate interest and forge new networks. I suspect that we are now in a new era of collaborative working, innovative approaches to promoting and selling ceramics and anticipating potential changes rather than the post hoc agonising that has been a feature of past years.

Having got that off my chest I am delighted that we have featured makers in the gallery to take us up until the end of the year who have never stood still and produce pieces which I find enormously satisfying.

JACK DOHERTY

 has been through considerable change in recent times. He was lead potter through the exacting renaissance of the Leach pottery and has now established his own pottery in Mousehole, Cornwall where he is producing pots that are undeniably his voice but with that distinctive Cornish colour palette. It will be good to show these lovely pots at a time when the light and weather deteriorates here.

SALLY    

   

and ALASDAIR NEIL MacDONELL

have shown work at Bevere on a number of occasions over the last few years and I am delighted that they are here again. They show together regularly and share a common fascination with human physiology – Sally mainly the whole body; Alasdair the face in particular.
Their influences are many and varied but individually they have an original and distinctive voice. Both are talented sculptors with a skilled use of colour. For me this is world art. It is not obviously British but nor is it easy to categorize. It makes you smile; stand back and admire and step forward to take in the detail. There is joy here and those who know Sally will know that so much of her personality resonates through her work. If you have never seen their work before you are in for a treat.

SYLVIA RYAN. I suspect that it is the humour, draughtsmanship and the strong blue and white decoration which has appealed so much to gallery visitors.

was literally one of the sell-out makers in the 2012 Cornwall Show and I am delighted to have her work back at Bevere. For those of you who bought or admired her work – and there were many of you – a new group of pieces will be in the gallery by Saturday 9

During the coming weeks we will also have new work from the Bevere list – Richard Heeley,  Japanese inspired tea bowls and boxes:

Richard Godfrey, whose new work is amazing as is his painting to which he has returned; Hennie Meyer whose bowls were a sell out in the summer:

 John Wheeldon teabowls – I love them –

Annie Peaker,

whose sculpture sold out last time round and hopefully other surprises.

Those who know me understand that I am not an enormous fan of Christmas, or to be more precise the crass commercialisation of a religious festival; nevertheless I am in no doubt that we will have much to bring cheer this festive season and importantly inspiration for that special gift.

Stuart Dickens