Autumn 2019

This theme reflects the impact Climate Change may have on islands around the world – and the life they sustain.

Mark Hearld

MARK HEARLD embraces the world of nature.  Animals and birds, plants and flowers are tirelessly observed and then interpreted through the flowing lines of his painting and collage.  Although based in York, Mark frequently travels to the Scottish isles and revels in the varied wildlife there – a fulfilling source for his work.

Versatile and masterly in whatever medium he chooses, Mark has delighted his many followers over the years since his M.A. in Natural History illustration at the Royal College of Art. His practice encompasses painting, collage, lithography, linocut printing, fabric design, book illustration and slip-ware decorated ceramics.

This is a selection of Mark’s work: more images  in the exhibition can be sent via email.

Alex Malcolmson

As a Shetlander, ALEX MALCOLMSON, learned the lore of the sea and all things maritime from an early age.  A fascination with folk and naïve art, as well as his studies at Edinburgh College of Art, led to his skills in working with wood and other materials to create his unique ‘box-works’ ~ 3-dimensional wall-hung tableaux. Much collected too are his life-size carved, constructed and painted bird sculptures.  In these he uncannily captures the essence of each creature and gives it dignity.

Further images in Alex’s exhibition collection can be seen if you email Gilly

Robina Jack

ROBINA JACK is much attracted to islands and faraway places ~ not least for studying  indigenous animals and birds, and those that appear to be in rapid decline.  These she uses as central subjects in her beautifully patterned ceramic dishes and platters, painted in singing colours.  Living near the Essex marshes, she also draws her imagery from a love of sea-faring, birds and domestic creatures, often expressing their playful nature.  A recent departure is painting on found wood, often in the style of the early naïve painters of schooners and tall ships.

Terry Shone

Animals depicted in a very different way appear in the ceramic work of TERRY SHONE.
A lifelong interest in traditional country slipwares and C19th Staffordshire ceramic models and flatbacks has led to his contemporary interpretation – with a humorous twist – of images in a similar vein.  The exacting and skilful process involves thrown, slab-built and modelled forms which Terry decorates with coloured slips and glazes, often reworking them over several firings with enamels and lustres.  These historic techniques, used in new ways, lead to the freshness and authenticity of traditional pottery albeit essentially of our times.

Sue Marshall

Sea and earth colours in SUE MARSHALL’s tapestry-woven rugs and cushions hark back to her Scandinavian roots as well as to the hues of Cornwall where she now lives.  Sue uses mainly Swedish wools and linens which she dyes in madder, indigo and the colours of the abundant plants and lichens growing around her wooden house on the Penwith peninsula. Her colour sense and designs are inspired mainly from Scandinavian sources, although touches of Peruvian and Navajo imagery also creep into the patterns she weaves.

Guy Royle

Exquisite new work from GUY ROYLE illustrates his skill as a master craftsman as well as the artistry of his designs. He etches, incises, inlays and carves precious metals and semi-precious stones to create silver and gold jewellery of great presence – and a joy to wear. The marks and patterns he inscribes in his work often resonate with those in the adornments of primitive man, whilst also being uniquely contemporary.

Bronwen Gwillim

Jewellery in a very different vein is the work of BRONWEN GWILLIM.  Elegant and sculptural in form, it is derived from recycled industrial plastics. She imbues these soulless materials with character by working their surfaces till their colours soften and they feel natural in the hand. The final appearance is akin to sea-washed pebbles and alludes to the fact that these non-biodegradable materials will be washed up on our shores for years to come – a sad reflection on the state of our oceans. Bronwen trained as a jeweller and uses traditional hand tools and techniques. All these one-off pieces are made slowly, in stark contrast to high speed mass production associated with modern plastics.

Nigel Lambert

Jugs with generous spouts, plates with wavy rims, bold brushwork decoration….these are elements of NIGEL LAMBERT’s wood-fired earthenware pottery which has earned him international recognition.   His thrown and altered pots are bold in style and eminently functional.  Food looks good in Nigel’s dishes; the jugs and teapots pour perfectly and the varied decoration – different in each piece – makes a table setting spectacular!

Helen Nock

Ever-inventive sculptress HELEN NOCK shows a collection of small tables, bird baths and free-standing sculptures in the gardens around the gallery. Constructed from Cornish rag slate, they are inlaid with mosaic patterns incorporating fragment of glass, ceramics, pebbles, fossils and other objets trouvés.

John Maltby

Available too during the exhibition and via email will be a new collection of JOHN MALTBY sculptures.
Here are a few~

More exhibits by all these artists are available to be seen on request after 8th September. I hope you all enjoy ISLAND LIFE!

Gilly