Wendy Green, Julie Glyn-Jones, Helen London, Jane McKay, Richard Straley and Jane Vernon

9 – 15 April 2014

 

  • Wendy Green

I am a well-established potter and sculptor working in my own studio in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Each sculpture is individually made using slab and coiling techniques and fired to high stoneware temperatures.

The size varies, according to the ideas I am expressing, from 20 x 25 cm up to about 60 x 50 cm. My main interest is in form and I am much influenced by modern sculptors and potters.

Examples of my work are in private collections in many parts of the world including France, Italy and Japan.

 

  • Julie Glyn-Jones

I am inspired to photograph the beauty the world possesses. A photograph captures a moment in time where natural scenes or manmade objects show off their best and I strive to capture the essence of that moment. For me, the interaction of industry and environment provides a sense of realism and the images show the grounding of the manmade objects to the landscape they sit in.

I have been a keen photographer for many years and was initially inspired by the beauty and nature of Australia and the iconic structures in Sydney. Since then I have travelled to many countries but have recently focussed on what the UK has to offer. I am a member of the Royal Photographic Society.

 

  • Helen London

I am concerned with the beauty and details in life.  This is expressed through the act of making, the style in which I work and the subject matters I draw upon.  Decorative aspects are paramount in my designs and influences, I am attracted to flowing linear qualities and elements of pattern in the world about us.  These qualities have been inspiring artists in all media for many years and I am particularly interested in the Art Nouveau and expressionist periods and in Japanese design and print.  Normally working on a smaller scale in silver and specialising in delicate filigree jewellery I have taken the opportunity of using the “Grounded’ exhibition to explore a new line of work.  Formed platters are transformed into decorative works of art using the application of linear surface decoration via the technique of chasing.  This uses fine steel tools to trace channels into the surface of the metal.  My aim is to combine pictorial qualities with a sense of two dimensional pattern, using metal work as a canvas for these drawings. My subject matter draws on the natural beauty that surrounds us if we only choose to observe it.  Specifically, birds, plants and the human form are manipulated, simplified and abstracted to complete decorative pieces that together form a collection of copper and silver artwork that is grounded from its mined origins to its expressive outcome.

 

  • Jane McKay

I began turning wood as a hobby after retirement from teaching 6 years ago. It quickly moved from interest to passion, and has become my main creative outlet, with pyrography an extra interest. My workshop at home in Gloucester is a standard size garage, where I happily cover myself in wood shavings for as many hours as I can get away with, on most days of the week.  I do the pyrography indoors, so I do see my husband some of the time!  I enjoy the mystery-tour aspect of wood turning, where hidden features in each piece of wood provide new design opportunities frequently!  Although turning is a solitary hobby, there are opportunities to socialise at the many craft fairs  in the county where I sell my work. I am a member of Gloucestershire Association of Woodturners and Craft in Action.

 

  • Richard Straley

When painting I feel very much the power and the ‘depth’ of landscape and it is important to me to try to convey a sense of exploration and revelation particularly in relation to the Cotswold landscape which I find so mysterious and magical. From the resulting web of ideas and impulses I try to present images of a landscape where something out of the ordinary happens: something tribal and prehistoric. There is, for me, a deep and profound spiritual message in the passing of the seasons, the cycles of growth and maturity without a beginning or an end.

 

  • Jane Vernon

Wrapped up in each piece of work I make, is something I’m passionate about.  My textiles work is inspired primarily by colour and themes from the natural world – fish, lizards, elephants, birds, plants and landscapes – to produce decorative textiles which I hope are timeless and at home in both modern and traditional surroundings.

When you use one of my pots you are using something made by a real foodie.  No mug is made without my imagining the taste of tea, coffee or cocoa, no bowl without the smell of home-made soup, no oven dish without the sight of plum crumble being presented to eager guests.  Robust and practical, my pots are designed for everyday use and decorated in a way which I hope makes them visually pleasing but not overwhelming.

 

Open daily 10am – 5pm

Entry Free

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