June 2015 - Curator's view

Difficult to believe that we are already half way through the year and our evolving collage of fine ceramicists continues to unfold. The three makers featured this month you will have seen before. They are as diverse a group as one could bring together, however they share many of the same qualities – craft skills, a distinct voice, innovative design and a love for their chosen materials.

Gabriele Koch has been amongst the elite of studio potters for many years. She has provided us with a small group of pots which demonstrate her ability to create vessels with great presence, whatever their scale. She has two styles of work on show – smoke-fired (the technique that established her reputation) and black stoneware with inlaid porcelain (work which she has developed over the last two years). They make for a striking contrast. Handling these fine pots brings me particular pleasure - they epitomise, to my eyes, the meaning of ceramic art. I would be surprised if you were not similarly impressed. Tell me if you agree - or disagree for that matter!

 

Keith Varney has exhibited at Bevere a number of times since appearing in our Graduate Show in 2012. His singular work, meticulously designed and constructed, has made a significant impact on the ceramic landscape. His engineering background is more than evident and his attention to detail enhances the geometric designs that have become must have pieces, judging by his recent sales.

Annabel Faraday has been showing at Bevere for a number of years. My last posting on this blog gave notice of a commission undertaken by Annabel to translate images we had taken of Worcester and environs – some familiar and others less well known - onto her distinctive pots. We are delighted to be showing these for the first time; they are evocative reminders of this historic and attractive city. I hope that you will like them too. We will also be showing some of Annabel’s framed collagraphs – she still sees herself as a printmaker whatever the medium

 Stuart Dickens - Ceramic Curator
 

ANNABEL FARADAY – THE WORCESTER POTS

Annabel has shown at Bevere on a number of occasions. She is amongst a small number of ceramicists who have thoroughly mastered print on clay techniques to produce evocative pots which reflect the essence of the many places she illustrates in her work. It was this ability which led us to commission a series of pots using images of Worcester. Whilst there are one or two views that will be instantly recognisable, there are several new takes on familiar landmarks. 

We  are delighted to be featuring these fine vessels in June and hope that you agree with us that they are beautiful reminders of the wealth of striking architectural and riverside imagery that the City of Worcester offers residents and its many visitors.

THE CURATOR’S VIEW – May 2015

"Keeping the gallery as a stimulating visitor experience is a major part of the curatorial challenge at Bevere. Our approach is to maintain the quality standard which defines the gallery and to ensure that there is always something new – either in terms of first time exhibitors or new work from our regular makers. The studio ceramic environment is dynamic and we are seeing more technical and aesthetic developments than at any time I can remember.

This month we have one new featured maker and two previous exhibitors.

Kate Scott is someone whom I have wanted to feature at Bevere for some time. She was particularly known for her tin glazed earthenware; however over the last two years, Kate has developed a range of stoneware which has attractive and innovative decorative features. The work is elegant and instantly attractive and hopefully visitors will have the same response as I did when I first saw it at Ceramic Art London.

I have always had an interest  in ceramic sculpture and this month I am delighted to see the return of Sheila Spear,

one of the most successful exhibitors in the Cornwall Show we held in 2012. Her distinctive figurative pieces display her fascination with the medieval. Once you have seen her work you will always recognise the idiosyncrasy of her modelling and the subtlety of her decoration. Her artistic voice is truly original.

Tim Andrews is

amongst the elite of studio ceramicists who have been a major influence over the last two decades. His smoke-fired raku is technically of the highest order and his design skills are evident in every piece. I have always been struck by the presence which his work has and the way in which it so readily communicates with the viewer. Tim has literally just returned from Japan where he has had a very successful exhibition. The Japanese are the most discerning of ceramophiles and to sell well there is an indication of the impact of Tim’s fine work.

So there we are, once again I hope that we have fulfilled our key criteria – craft skills, original voices and contrasts which reinforce the joy of difference".

   Stuart Dickens

The Curator's View - April 2015

 

THE CURATOR’S VIEW – April 2015

Diversity has become an overworked word in the gallery – at least by me – because it succinctly describes the ethos of Bevere in demonstrating, month on month, the almost limitless creativity of the ceramic universe. This month is a classic example. The styles and approaches of the three/four makers are markedly different but they share one important characteristic; the passion with which they work with the same base materials to produce pieces that are distinctly theirs.

Paul Smith is a ceramic sculptor who is new to Bevere. His skilled and bold modelling produces a sideways look at the relationship between animals and humans.  Sister Wendy Beckett described his work as ‘

magical art, pure, humorous and strong’. His individual pieces communicate his intentions so clearly and I particularly like the elegance of line in his work. Ceramic sculpture has grown in popularity and it is the ability to communicate at different levels that attracts so many of our visitors.

Robin Welch is an elder statesman of the world of abstract expressionism in ceramics. We are proud to have shown his work over a number of years. - the passage of time affects even the most creative and we are delighted to have another group of pots from him. Hope you enjoy as much as we do.

We have a new body of work selected by us from his workshop. He is now producing less pieces than in the past.

Wied and Deiderik Heyning

work wonders in fine porcelain. The quality of the potting and decoration is very fine and it will be good to see them back after a long absence. When they were first shown at Bevere the work was very well received and if you have never seen their work before you are in for a treat. There decorative style varies from abstract / painterly, engraved to botanical free-hand design. It is this versatility that gives voice to their creativity. 

 Stuart Dickens

CURATOR'S VIEW - March 2015

There is a particular symbolism attached to achieving ‘three score years and ten’ and in the arts it has even greater significance. Not only has a milestone birthday been reached, but most artists and craftsmen will continue to create with barely a thought given to retirement – unlike most of us. Their creative energy remains; the desire to make may be constrained by the vagaries of the aging process but it is never extinguished.

Creating is about being as much as it is about doing. So it is with Geoffrey Swindell, whose 70^th year and a career spanning decades are being celebrated this month. We are delighted to host this special event

Geoffrey is a ceramic miniaturist; as with painters who work on a small scale, he is admired for his self-evident skills in making such exquisitely crafted pieces and for his imaginative and boundlessly creative decoration. This distinct voice in studio ceramics continues to impress and people discovering his work for the first time will stop and wonder at the diversity and originality of his pots.

The show opens on 7th March and between 1100 and 1400 Geoffrey will be at the gallery and more than happy to answer questions about his work and the potter’s life. I do hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be an exceptional exhibition of his unique work.

An exceptional event needs an exceptional cast and alongside Geoffrey’s work we are delighted to feature John Higgins.

It is some time since we have shown his constantly evolving ceramics and we look forward to seeing his most recent pieces. John has also ploughed a singular furrow and is amongst that small body of studio potters whose work maintains an edgy contemporaneity.

We also have new smaller pieces from Peter Hayes a regular favourite with our visitors. Peter has a never ending well spring of creativity

and his recent work in India has added new dimensions to his materials, designs and making processes.

Taken together we have a exciting show for you this month and it is difficult to imagine someone with any interest in ceramics not being stimulated by the quality of the work and the creative spirit of these great makers.

THE CURATOR’S VIEW – February 2015

After the buzz surrounding the Graduate Show - our opening event of the year - we always need an exciting group of featured makers in February to sustain interest and to provide several good reasons to keep visiting Bevere as the year advances. This month’s makers, two of whom have never shown at Bevere before (yes, there are still potters that haven’t), do just that. Each month, we try to ensure that diversity and contrast, two of Bevere’s defining characteristics, are sustained; so it is that we have a talented ceramic sculptor, a maker who has mastered the making of refined raku ware and the doyen of print on clay.

Jane Muir

 makes idiosyncratic painted figures which offer a whimsical take on the world. There has been an increasing interest in sculptural ceramics and once again this is because there are a number of original voices which produce work of continuing interest and often raise a smile. Jane is one of them and I am pleased that she will be showing her work in the gallery and outside pieces in the courtyard. Jane studied at Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art and has exhibited widely here in the UK and abroad.

Debbie Barber

originally trained in textiles and only later trained in ceramics which has been her life -long interest. She uses naked raku firing techniques to produce decorative wares which demonstrate the early influence of fabric design. It was the quality of the decoration which first attracted me to her work and I am sure that you will enjoy and appreciate her strong and confident designs. She says that she enjoys the hands on element of raku which demands the close attention of the potter throughout the process from start to finish.

Paul Scott has shown at Bevere before. He is one of the leading exponents of print on clay techniques and has written extensively on the subject.

He is one of those makers that brings together contemporary and traditional aesthetics to produce pieces that are uniquely his own. I have admired his work for a long time. There are seminal qualities here which are the hallmark of the thinking potter – that he is an academic may be a factor. His work is redolent of times past whilst clearly looking forward. I know that many visitors will enjoy this work which is predominantly blue on white. He has just returned from New York where he has been exhibiting.

So that’s February. I hope you agree that we have just the right makers to maintain the momentum that the Graduate Show has generated.

The Year At A Glance In the Gallery