Phoebe Cummings and ‘Truth to Materials’

‘Triumph of the Immaterial’  (detail) – installation in raw clay by Phoebe Cummings   I was delighted to see that Phoebe Cummings has recently won the inaugural Women’s Hour Craft Prize (8 November 2017) with ‘Triumph of the Immaterial’ – a installation piece in raw clay which took 5 weeks to create and is currently on display at the V&A. … Read More

Joan Miro – Assemblage – Found Objects and Figures

Joan Miro – Figure and Bird, Bronze 1968   I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend in Barcelona this summer. Such an amazing city – lovely people and fabulous architecture. I was delighted by Gaudi, but I think the highlight for me was probably Fundacio Joan Miro.   It is a spacious purpose-built gallery situated on Montjuic with wonderful … Read More

Annie Turner’s sculptural ceramics

‘Martello Tower’ by Annie Turner – Ceramic vessel with fishing net (detail) I was very fortunate to have Annie Turner as a tutor on my ceramic diploma course several years ago.  She is a gifted teacher who demonstrates techniques clearly and is happy to share not only her extraordinary hand-building skills but also her slip and glaze recipes. In her … Read More

Lest we forget

‘Curation’ – ‘Lest we forget’   This little figure, with her head bowed and a far away look in her eye, is the personification of contemplation and mindfulness. Made entirely from found objects, she wears a little ceramic ‘helmet’, her neck is glass and her body a broken vase decorated with faded foliage and a bird motif.  She was inspired, … Read More

Pipe Dream

‘Curation’ – ‘Pipe Dream’ The piece shown above is composed from the head of a figurine, an old clay pipe and a piece of seaweed.  Each ‘assemblage’ or ‘curation’ is photographed before being dismantled into its component parts for re-use or re-incorporation into different forms. This strikes me as the most appropriate and sustainable way of working with these unique … Read More

Boy with Boat

‘Curation’- ‘Boy with Boat’ The assemblages (or ‘curations’ as I like to call them) that I have been creating over recent months – are composed of fragments I have found, foraged, mud-larked or beachcombed.  Each component is placed, arranged and re-arranged, often many times, until I achieve an outcome that resonates. They can take the form of abstract utensils, mythological … Read More

Listen

‘Curation’ – ‘Listen – you can hear the sea’ Like many artists and makers I am fascinated by found objects – both natural and manmade – but primarily those found in the landscape around my home. I am a compulsive collector – “a snapper up of unconsidered trifles”- and also of books, ephemera and artwork – drawings, paintings, prints and … Read More

Tomb

Graphite on Paper – Tomb, Exeter Cathedral As an artist, art historian, arts administrator, writer and curator, I am interested in a wide cross-section of fine art, craft and visual culture as a whole and have recently been going through a period of personal and creative reflection and reassessment. Over the years, I have used paper, pencil, paint, pastels, photography, … Read More