COASTAL RHYTHMS: PAINTINGS & CERAMICS BY FOUR ARTISTS

PORTHMINSTER GALLERY, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 2DY

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
18^th APRIL 2018

‘COASTAL RHYTHMS’
A selling show of new paintings by Angela Charles and Sara Dudman, and new ceramics by Clare Conrad and Sarah Perry, inspired by Cornwall’s changing coastline.

Please click here to access press-ready 300dpi cmyk images of selected artworks.

COASTAL RHYTHMS show

This four-artist show explores both the permanent, elemental nature of Cornwall’s land and sea, and the more transient light and weather which keep it in constant flux.

Angela Charles creates semi-abstract, expressionistic paintings, inspired by the natural colours and rhythms of the landscapes of West Cornwall, in response to memory of place, rather than a figurative representation. These works, on primed aluminium, and wooden boards, can be compared with Roger Hilton’s works from the early 1960's, However, there is also a strong resonance with the 1970‘s abstract works of Victor Pasmore: compositions of flat colour fields energised with an edgy quality of line.

Angela was born in Brighton in 1966 and studied on the Foundation Course at Worthing College of Art from 1983–86. She then went on to study BA (Hons) Fine Art (Textiles) at Goldsmiths College, University of London, graduating in 1989. Since 1989, she has exhibited successfully throughout the UK and is also a part-time gallery curator. Angela lives in Crewkerne, Somerset and has been a permanent gallery artist at the Porthminster Gallery since 2010.

Sara Dudman’s new body of works seeks to balance the seemingly fragile and chaotic motion and transience of the birds at the RSPB reserves at Gwithian and Marazion against the rhythmic flow of the tidal estuaries and shorelines. Her fascination with light and water, Cornwall’s changing weather, and her observations, experiences and sensations – documented through note-taking, drawing and film – informs the work with an intimate understanding of the birds’ migratory patterns, behaviours and relationships with the coastline. 

Born in 1964, Sara studied on the Foundation Course in Art and Design at Braintree College of Arts and Technology (1984) and graduated with a BA from Loughborough College of Art and Design (1987), followed by a MA from De Montfort University, Leicester (1997). Sara has received several awards and prizes and been shown in many solo, joint and group exhibitions widely in the southwest and London. She lives in Somerset and is a permanent gallery artist.

Clare Conrad’s new collection of coloured, textured vessels is inspired by the sea’s edge: subtle colours showing through shallow water; tonal gradations of sand and pebbles as they change from wet to dry; the effects of sun, wind and salt spray. Using innovative techniques that she has developed over many years, Clare layers vitreous slips onto wheel-thrown vessels to achieve a rugged texture, contrasting with the satin-matt glaze inside. Electric kiln-firing to stoneware temperature, gives control over the subtlety and range of colours.

Clare graduated with BA (Hons) Ceramics from the U. W. E., Bristol in 1987. Her innovative ceramics have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in the UK and internationally, featured in ceramic publications and are held in many public and private collections. Clare lives in Northampton and is a Fellow of The Craft Potter’s Association. She has been represented exclusively in Cornwall as a permanent gallery artist by the Porthminster Gallery since 2008.

Sarah Perry’s thrown and hand-built stoneware and porcelain pots are inspired by the seascapes, landscapes, and textures of Cornwall. Intense colour glazes of blue, turquoise, purple, pink and green overlap on simple hand-built and thrown forms to make vibrant seascapes and cool landscapes. Fired in an oxidising atmosphere to 1280˚C.

Sarah Perry trained at Camberwell Art School in London, under the renowned studio potters Lucie Rie and Hans Coper. She gained a BA Hons in Ceramics, and in the late seventies lived and worked in Argentina, exhibiting in Buenos Aires. During the nineties her work was sold through Liberties, Heals, and The Conran Shops in London, Paris and Tokyo. Her works are in the collections of Paul Merton, Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Jonathan Pryce. A member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, Sarah has been one of Porthminster Gallery’s principal permanently represented potters, since 2003. She lives in London.

Prices of the paintings in ‘Coastal Rhythms’ show range from £420 to £2,500, and prices of the ceramics range from £80 to £600.

The Own Art interest-free purchase plan is available on all works.

Also showing will be ‘Patrick Heron: Prints from the 70s’ celebrating the rich abstraction of Patrick Heron’s art with a selling exhibition of ten vibrant rare signed silkscreen prints by this great British modern master of abstract expressionism. The exhibition complements Patrick Heron’s major retrospective show at the TATE St Ives.

Notes to editors

In 2017 the award-winning Porthminster Gallery celebrated its tenth year in St Ives, Cornwall with a diverse programme of expertly curated exhibitions and events.

Established by art patrons and gallery directors Dee Bray and David Durham in York in 1999, the business was relocated to St Ives in 2007 to concentrate its focus on the art of St Ives and Cornwall. Since then the gallery has championed the work of more than 80 living British artists through its progressive and expertly curated shows, and has showcased and introduced many young up-and-coming artists to an appreciative local and global collectorship.  The gallery has also gained a strong reputation during the ten years for its impressive shows and changing stock of Post War St Ives and British Art.

Porthminster Gallery won the Cornwall Today readers’ award for ‘Best Art Gallery in Cornwall’ 2014/15, and has been featured in BBC2’s Coast series and most recently in Sky Art’s Tate Walks series.

The gallery offers buyers and collectors the easy and affordable incentive to buy original art up to £25,000 at 0% APR over 10 equal 0% APR monthly instalments with the Own Art and Own Art Plus purchase schemes.

For further information, please contact gallery manager Hélène Chaussavoine at the gallery on 01736 795888, or by email info@porthminstergallery.co.uk 
Website: www.porthminstergallery.co.uk

Porthminster Gallery, Westcott's Quay, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 2DY, UK

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