Dear Earth

1st March - 29th September 2024

Artist Exhibited: Helen Elliott Art, Jess Elliott, Jimi Zen, Chloe Elliott Schmid, Shard&Bloom, Alan Perry, Billy Adams, Mathew Edenbrow, Gwili Pottery, Sophia Henry, Debbie Needham.

WHY I PAINT

THE LOVE OF COLOUR, STORY TELLING, and sharing the sheer joy of paint are the reasons I make art. It's totally my thing. Almost as much my thing as are simple pleasures of life ... the dog walk, the first snowdrops, the geese on the estuary, the perfect cup of tea, lunch with a friend...

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"Colour is everything. When colour is right, form is right." - Marc Chagall.

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I remember being completely in love with colour as early as 8 years old when my Uncle George (he who had been a desert rat, and in his 70’s still sported a rather dapper pencil moustache) presented me with a tin box of watercolours.

They were a thrill to behold! A dazzling array of row upon row of jewel-like lemons, fuchsias, and turquoises. It seemed to my eight-year-old self that I was in heaven and held the key to artistic bliss in my hands. However, this was in fact the first time I was to experience creative disappointment. The colours, when applied with a rough black bristle brush to thin newsprint paper, were lifeless. The paper wore through as I tried to apply increasing layers of the insipid colours to achieve some of the tin’s promised lustre.

After so many years I still vividly remember both the anticipation and disappointment of that event. And it's been my lifelong mission to find colour that satisfies. I think I'm almost there.

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The use of narrative, colour and flat plane gives the work unity and individuality of style along with a sense of joy.  My paintings are immediate, extracting the essential point of a scene or composition and conveying it with colour and innocence. The world I depict is fun and familiar and I hope viewers connect to the scenes and are taken to remembered people and places.

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Jess Elliott

My practice explores themes of aspiration, growth and motherhood, as I document and reflect upon my sister-in-law’s pregnancy. The aim of the work is to create a strong, positive portrayal of pregnant women in the 21st century, and reflect upon how pregnancy is represented in society. Influenced by the work of artists such as Barbara Morgan, Diane Arbus and Angela Chalmers, the research focuses on a young woman as she adapts and grows from being a young adult into a mother. As an installation piece containing photographs and archival images, the work is not only a documentation but also a celebration, capturing Meg’s childhood dream of becoming a mother.

Birth, Motherhood, Installation

Jimi Zen

Jimi's creative interests see him enjoying traveling around his home Country of Wales, capturing calming Seascape and Landscape and nature photography images, further giving them his own unique and inspired, signature branding, Zen-inspired Dgital Twists. 

Shard & Bloom

My name is Kate McCarthy-Keane and I am a stained glass artist based in the small village of Glynarthen in Ceredigion. Working with both stained glass and float glass I handcraft beautiful bespoke artwork.

Each item is lovingly created using the Tiffany copper foil method. I select and hand-cut each piece of glass which is then placed on my glass grinder to create a smooth finish. The individual pieces of glass are delicately wrapped in copper foil, arranged into the design and finally soldered together.

My designs take inspiration from nature, and the beautiful Welsh landscape. My love for succulents, flowers and the natural world has inspired me to capture its beauty in stained glass. All my creations are as unique as nature intended and crafted using the finest materials sourced from local and UK-based businesses and stained glass specialists.

Commission work undertaken for interior door and window stained glass panels.

Facebook @ShardandBloom

Instagram@ShardandBloom

Alan Perry

Post school education comprised a general engineering apprenticeship, including some basic blacksmithing as well as machining and other engineering disciplines.

 After becoming dissatisfied with humdrum engineering jobs I decided to explore the possibilities of blacksmithing as a career change. I undertook several formal short courses on different aspects of traditional forging techniques, before setting up my own forge.

 Continual practice in my own workshop, occasional periods working for other blacksmiths and regular attendance at county shows and blacksmith events have combined to develop my skills and techniques. Selling through craft outlets and galleries has honed my design style and led to the range of domestic items which comprise the majority of my current work.

 I enjoy the process of heating the uniform stock metal, either new or reclaimed, until it reaches a malleable state and then using hammer blows to transform it.

 Wherever possible I use traditional, ancient techniques in my work, although my forge blower is electric, not hand or foot pumped bellows, and my power hammer also runs on electric, not water or steam power as was once the case. 

Billy Adams

Billy was born in Northern Ireland and spent his youth roaming the hills of Donegal, exploring the landscape. He completed an MA in Ceramics at Cardiff Institute of Higher Education in the late 1980s and he has been living and working in Wales ever since.

His work is influenced by landscape settings, especially the wild, rugged beauty of Connemara and Donegal, and the dramatic West Wales coastline. He incorporates geological elements, natural colours, as well as the marks of human activity on the landscape into his vessels. He is interested in addressing the relationship we have with the landscape.

He works within the vessel format, combining textures, colours and forms whilst interacting with man made elements. His work questions the concept of the vessel and the tension between function and non-function. Their conclusive forms are recognised as jugs, bowls and vessels; yet they can lead to inquiry of the notion of one’s perception and memory of an ever-changing landscape.

Billy’s vessels incorporate three different types of clay which have varying shrinkage rates. Each piece of work is hand-built and fired between four and five times. After repeated glazing and firing, the piece builds up a rich vocabulary of fissures, texture and richness of hue evoking rugged landscapes.

Billy’s work is collected and exhibited in the UK, Europe and the USA. Billy is a Fellow of the CPA, Craft Potters Association of the UK.

Mathew Edenbrow

Mathew’s work draws upon his life long fascination with wild animals and the natural world. Each stoneware piece he creates is decorated with applied ceramic underglazes with the aim to capture everyday moments in the lives of animals. By exploring these moments he aims to provide insight into animal behaviour and how small, often minute changes in body form or expression can convey not only information, but also give insight into an individuals intent, motivation and emotional state. Mathews work is strongly informed by his varied life experiences with wild and domestic animals as well as his academic understanding of animal behaviour gained during, and after being awarded his PhD investigating animal personality trait evolution. It was during the early stages of Mathew's academic career that he came to fully appreciate and get excited by the complexities of animal behaviour. Mathew now draws upon these experiences to explore the beauty of the animal form and hopefully reveal something previously unnoticed to the observer.

Sophia Henry

My project aims to translate the delicate nature of flowers into glass while exploring the symbolism present in flora. This collection's deeper meaning derives from my indigenous heritage, where nature has a significant role in our history and culture, as well as illustrating our connection to the world around us. Whether it's the species of plant or flower, the pigments that may be used as dyes, or the application of plants in herbal medicine, floras have special significance. Since plant life is declining, it is important that we preserve what remains and devote our attention to everything that has been lost.

Flora, Heritage, Glass, Nature, Endangered

ARBORVITAE DESIGNS JEWELLERY

I know that, like me, you believe that gemstones are an invaluable gift from the Earth, full of beauty and healing energy. Harnessing that energy, my jewellery empowers you to connect with your spirituality, and embark on a journey of self discovery, and healing.

Hi! I'm Debbie and I design and create quality hand-crafted gemstone jewellery for spiritual self-aware women who want to wear ethical, sustainable pieces that speak to them on a vibrational level.

Drawing inspiration from Celtic designs, each piece exudes a sense of individuality. Wearing my jewellery is not just a choice; it is a statement, an outward expression of your inner soul..

Chloe Elliott Schmid

Diolch Thank You