CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners and highly commended artists of the Isabel de Pelet Young Artist of the year exhibition 2019.

Now in its 24th year, the winners were awarded on Friday evening at the preview, and were selected by the ladies of Blackmore Vale Division of the Arts Society.  

William Montgomery took the top prize for his bronzes ‘Fox’ and ‘Kudu’ with Peter Hazard taking second and Sharon Hutchings third.

Here they are pictured with their work, Isabel and some of the judges.

The show, in the new Milking Parlour Gallery, is open from now until the 14th of December, Tuesday to Saturday, 11 until 3.

Thank you so much to all the artists who entered their work and of course to the judges, Sheila Williams, Jill de Bretton Gordon and Penny Brentall, for their time.

Photos courtesy of Sally Evans Photography 

Ceramics, collage and creatures exploding, exploring and expiring in the Milking Parlour….this intriguing show brings together the work of David Burns and Mary Tambini for the first time; in a conversation that begins in the cradle of civilisation and ends in planetary implosion at our own hands. Open until 26 November, Tuesday-Saturday, 11-3, it’s a must see.

Having been already familiar with David’s work curator, Deanne Tremlett, on being invited to visit Mary in her studio said:

“From the moment I visited Mary’s studio in Childe Okeford I knew I had to get her in a room with David. There is something fragile here and yet deeply grounded in a collective cultural consciousness.”

She felt that here was a conversation to be had – and here it is.

Mary researched this latest work on a visit to Kurdistan, where images 1000s of years old were the inspiration for the distilled motifs threaded throughout the work. It is a beautiful body of collage and ceramic sculpture with a collective feeling of cultural substance.

David has this to say about his recent work:

“The 11-year ticking clock in which to fix climate change and global warming has led me to respond with the present pots. The way humanity has squandered the resources of the planet we live on for what? Gain is only a relative term, some of the least affected by technology would seem to have a more carefree, healthy lifestyle than the likes of those making a financial killing by killing themselves.

I see the bowls as various versions of the cosmic black hole relentlessly sucking in everything in its path, all the trappings of success and achievement in the modern view going at light speed down the toilet to who knows where. It could be argued by the kinder folk amongst us that our present predicament is due to everyone not firstly understanding our planet home and secondly thinking that because things in the old days changed grindingly slowly it would always be so. Some would say”it’s not about misunderstanding and ignorance” but a pure, couldn’t care less attitude. Human beings are far too smart for their own good.

Surprising then that precious few have seen the writing on the wall. Possibly a condition of having a knowledge base that starts at zero and ends at zero point one.

Over time I have collected various different textured surfaces that are used in combinations on the bowls. They are made into press mouls and combined with thrown surfaces to produce the outside of the bowls complementing the interior pattern. I then use combinations of keys, coins, other metal objects and broken porcelain dolls to create the final images. My direction and ethos to highlight the effects of global warming, climate change, degeneration and decay are thus integrated into the work. I use many unconventional methods and materials to create the surfaces I require by adding brick dust, fibre and ground glass into my clay bodies firing them in different temperatures and atmospheres.”

A very successful opening night for Alex Williams [seen here in the grey jacket] in the Milking Parlour Gallery. We feel privileged that Alex created these new works specifically for our new gallery space and it was particularly gratifying that so many works sold on the first night.

Alex trained at St Martin’s School of Art and The University of Wales. He became an art teacher, later Head of Art, at schools in Hertfordshire before moving to Hay-on-Wye to set up his design and print studio. Moving to the Welsh Border country in the late 1970’s was catalytic in his development as a painter of farm landscapes, animals, buildings and agriculture.

His work was widely exhibited in the UK and Alex then moved to Los Angeles for three years, exhibiting there and undertaking commissions for Tom Jones and Jackson Browne as well as for magazines and companies.

His images have been widely used in Tableware and Fine Bone China, Limited Edition Prints and Greetings Cards.

His versatility also extends to numerous TV appearances as artist and art teacher, in Australia as well as in the UK. He has exhibited widely in both individual and group shows and his work is in many public and private collections;

The National Museum of Wales has purchased a number of his landscapes of the Welsh Borders and he has collaborated very successful with the National Trust on a range of products.

His recent show at The Fosse, “Only the Lonely” brought together his love of “Period Rock” (his term) and the lives of farming folk their live stock and rambling buildings.

Alex’s work can be seen up until the 2nd of November, the gallery is open from 11 until 3, Tuesday to Saturday.

www.alexwilliams.net