New Ashgate Gallery champions the best of contemporary art and craft providing an unparalleled resource in Farnham, Surrey and beyond

Shopping cart0 itemsCheckout

Rising Stars 2019

Benjamin Pearey, Indestrucible Croc, Stoneware. Photo: Benjamin Pearey

2 March to 13 April 2019

Rising Stars 2019

Rising Stars is a platform for some of the most exciting new crafts by emerging makers in crafts, design and applied arts - this year, the exhibition is bigger than ever, following a record number of applications.

This curated, selling exhibition will be showcased at the New Ashgate Gallery and also include a programme of makers' professional development events and a £500 prize. The participants are graduating students, recent graduates or at a pivotal moment in their early career due to changed circumstances.

This year, the project received 109 applications. 30 makers have been selected for the exhibition by a panel of craft professionals, focusing on their potential and talent; Rebecca Skeels, Course Leader for Postgraduate Programmes, School of Craft and Design, University for the Creative Arts, Gemma Curtis, Crafts Programme Coordinator, the Farnham Maltings and Dr Outi Remes, Director, New Ashgate Gallery.

Many of the graduating makers are at cross roads: they have a full portfolio of fabulous ideas, but are yet to establish their business skills and a network of collectors. Rising Stars offers just the right platform, and for many, it is a starting point for an exceptional career. Rising Stars is an opportunity for both makers as well as art collectors who wish to support and collect work by future stars.

The selected makers of exceptional talent are: Angelina Jane, Arra Textiles, Louise Bell, Georgia Buck, Holly Burton, Eve Campbell, Jenny Chan, Sara Chyan, Kim Colebrook, Mihaela Coman, Natalie Eagle, Tamir Erlich, Alice Funge, Alysa Freeman, Susanna Gogarty, Iona Hall, Qiang Li, Marek Liska, Sam Lucas, Ruth Martindale, Bekky May, Annette Mills, Poppy Norton, Benjamin Pearey, Mitch Pilkington, Nastassia Ramazankhani, Kyle Ramsey, Catherine Rua, Jinya Zhao and Marissa Ziesing.

Rising Stars is organised by the New Ashgate Gallery and supported by the Billmeir Charitable Trust. We work in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.

View the catalogue: https://bit.ly/2SuVcqE
Buy the catalogue: https://bit.ly/2ByRscV

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2018

15 September to 3 November 2018

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2018

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during the hugely popular open studio season. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, all offering different materials and techniques: ceramics, glass, jewellery, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

During the exhibition, members of the public voted for an artist; the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel was named Surrey Artist of the Year 2018 on 12 October. We are delighted to announce Catherine Warren is the winner of the 2018 competition and will receive a bursary of £1,000 and a solo show. This year the winning artist is also gifted a stand at Contemporary Art Fair's annual show at Sandown Park.

The shortlisted artists were from across the county: Ruta Brown, Nicky Chubb, Grace Ellen, Niki Hearnshaw, Diana Jane, Denise Jaques, Susie Lidstone, Jule Mallett, Liane Matthews, Janine Rees, Joe Szabo, Jane Silk, Jean Tolkovsky, Catherine Warren, Stephanie Wright.

Hothouse: Selected

28 July to 8 September 2018

Hothouse: Selected

This exhibition celebrates fresh, innovative and bespoke craft and is part of our programme to exhibit some of the most exciting makers to art lovers and collectors.
The makers in this exhibition have previously been selected for the Crafts Council's prestigious Hothouse programme that offers support and mentoring for new makers wishing to break into the sector. This is an opportunity to invest in the future of British crafts and to celebrate past Hothouse participants who have turned their passion for making into successful businesses.
The makers include: Aimee Bollu, Elaine Bolt, Charles Dedman, Tim Evershed, Stella Harding, Christina Hesford, Verity Howard, Emma Johnson, Catriona Mackenzie, Tina MacLeod, Heather McDermott, Jode Pankhurst, Angie Parker, Lauren Taylor, Jessica Thorn, Theo Wright and Cristina Zani.

Su Jameson: Surrey Artist of the Year 2017 - One Year On

15 September to 3 November 2018

Su Jameson: Surrey Artist of the Year 2017 - One Year On

A solo exhibition of work by 2017 Winner Su Jameson.
Liphook based artist Su Jameson makes one-off hand built ceramic figurative sculptures. Drawn from personal experiences, interactions and observations her work explores the complexities of being human; issues around belonging, strength and fragility, and communication. Source ideas are at once particular and universal, as a result it aims to be thought provoking and invite reinterpretation. Porcelain, black and crank stoneware clays create textural structures and surfaces; whilst painted on coloured slips, oxides and glazes are used to accentuate form and narrative.

Julie Massie: Fragile Edges - Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2017: One Year On

Julie Massie, Gold Edges

3 March to 14 April 2018

Julie Massie: Fragile Edges - Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2017: One Year On

Julie Massie has taken inspiration for her wall sculptures and free standing sculptures from the fragility of the eroding coastline where she lives at Hengistsbury Head in Dorset. This coastline is constantly changing throughout the seasons as the waves break onto the shore. This fragility is represented by the delicate edges of the porcelain ceramic shards that she uses to create her work. The colours she uses are inspired by the colours of the sea, at times dull and at other time glistening in the sunshine; and the colours in the surrounding vegetation that change as the seasons change.

Her work also explores the senses, especially touch and sight. Physical touch is the fundamental element of human development and culture; and she enjoy watching people's reactions when then touch her work. What does it feel like or will it break?

Rising Stars is supported by the Billmeir Charitable Trust. It is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts.

Rising Stars 2018

Kas Williams, Wild Pollen 2 (detail)

Rising Stars is organised in partnership with the UCA Farnham

  • UCALinearLogo

3 March to 14 April 2018

Rising Stars 2018

Rising Stars is a platform to view and collect some of the most exciting new craft by emerging makers from crafts and applied arts programmes across the UK.

This curated exhibition is accompanied by professional development and a cash prize. In the past, many of the selected exhibitors have gone on to a high profile career and elite programmes such as Hothouse supported by the Crafts Council. Therefore, the exhibition is a great collector opportunity to learn more about the stars of the future.
The makers in this year's shortlist are Ruth Brown, Emily Jane Bruce, Ellie Burton, Anne-Laure Cano, Ella Fearon-Low, Tony Howard, Polly Middleton-Heatley, Valerie Muddyman, Teresa Munn, Alex O'Connor, Anna Peake, Rebecca Rowland-chandler, Joshua Schoeman, Claire Lucia Skelton, Mariam Syed, Mona Tabbicca, Emma Trussler, Louisa Warren, Kas Williams, Xuan Fang

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2017

Mary Branson, ‘Movement’, Screenprinted Somerset velvet 'Black' 280gsm, Lascaux Inks, 15 layers

  • SAOSlogo

30 September to 11 November 2017

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2017

The New Ashgate Gallery invites members of the public to come and vote for their favourite artist.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, all offering different materials and techniques: ceramics, glass, jewellery, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and woodwork.

The shortlisted artists are Adam Aaronson, Jo Aylwin, Naomi Beevers, Mary Branson, Alex Freeman, Emma Godden, Niki Hearnshaw, Christine Hopkins, Su Jameson, Jule Mallett, Katie Netley, Alison Orchard and Ali Tomlin.

Again, during the exhibition, until 20th October, 3pm, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2017. The winner receives a bursary of £1,000, a solo show at the New Ashgate Gallery and a complementary Winner's Stand at the Surrey Contemporary Art Fair.

The competition is organised in partnership with the Surrey Open Studios. It is supported by the Patricia Baines Trust and Contemporary Art Fairs. The Surrey Life magazine, which has a monthly section dedicated to the local art scene, is the official media partner of the competition.

The season includes workshops for adults, families and artists - please contact us for information.

View the catalogue at: https://issuu.com/newashgate/docs/saoy_2017_catalogue_with_images_-_o

Denise Jaques: Winner of the 2016 Surrey Artist of the Year Competition: One Year On

Denise Jaques, The Pier, mixed media mosaic

30 September to 11 November 2017

Denise Jaques: Winner of the 2016 Surrey Artist of the Year Competition: One Year On

Denise Jaques is a mixed media artist specialising in contemporary mosaics. She is the winner of Surrey Artist of the Year 2016 and is a member of BAMM (British Association for Modern Mosaics). Denise creates artwork for interior and exterior spaces as well as beautiful brooches for everyday and special occations. Her work has a strong sense of colour, pattern and rhythm, and plays with the idea of distorted reflections. She is fascinated with the journey of experimentation and excited by the unknown destination.

Artwork Places I have lived and loved
Her recent artwork relates to places she has lived and loved. Denise has created a series of abstract landscapes and seascapes inspired by the Surrey countryside, Essex coast, and beyond. She uses the reflective qualities of glass to capture the ever changing light on the natural environment.

The Garden Swaying Mosaics
Denise also creates mosaics for exterior spaces. She has developed her craft to create fun, shimmering mosaic art for the garden. These pieces gently sway, projecting a scattering of ethereal reflections around the exterior space.

If you would like to try mosaic making, contact us to book for Denise's workshops in the gallery.

The Surrey Artist of the Year project is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with Surrey Arts. SAYO is supported by Patricia Baines Trust. The Surrey Life magazine, which has a monthly section dedicated to the local art scene, is the official media partner of the competition.

Emma-Jane Rule: Winner of Rising Stars 2016: One Year On

Emma-Jane Rule, Silver Vases

4 March to 15 April 2017

Emma-Jane Rule: Winner of Rising Stars 2016: One Year On

Using the technique of foldforming alongside more traditional metalworking practices such as hammer forming and hand raising, Emma-Jane explores the malleable and intriguing natures of silver and copper. Encouraging pleated metal to curve and stretch in a designed direction, using hammers or a rolling mill, is a serendipitous way of working. Creating many opportunities for the metal to evolve and dictate the final form. Overcoming these challenges and learning how metals move suits Emma-Jane's playful and intuitive approach to metalworking.

Her work is organic and tactile, reflecting the undulating lines and rhythms found in the natural world, which is where she finds her inspiration. Additional surface textures, patinas and burnishing compliment and enhance the forms and the metal's natural lustre. Emma's designs include sculptural jewellery as well as decorative and functional contemporary metalwork for, unique items of luxury for everyday use and treasured heirlooms for the future.

Rising Stars 2017

Loucinda Nims, Sugar Bowl and Spoon

4 March to 15 April 2017

Rising Stars 2017

Rising Stars is a platform to view and collect some of the most exciting new craft by emerging makers from crafts and applied arts programmes across the UK. This curated exhibition is accompanied by professional development and a cash prize. In the past, many of the selected exhibitors have gone on to a high profile career and elite programmes such as Hothouse supported by the Crafts Council. Therefore, the exhibition is a great collector opportunity to learn more about the stars of the future.

The makers in this year's shortlist are Evgeniia Balashova, Holly Suzanna Clifford, Matt Davis, Amanda Denison, Joanna Hayward, Alice Heaton, Emily Higham, Isabel Howe, Emma Johnson, Monette Larsen, Danny Lee Design, Karen Lester, Catherine Phillips, Rhian Malin, Julie Massie, Laura Marriott, Tina MacLeod, Lauren Nauman, Loucinda Nims, Suzanne Seed, Troo Studio and Rosie Wesley.

The shortlist was selected from more than 60 applications. The selectors were Rebecca Skeels, Post Graduate Subject & Senior Tutor for University of Creative Arts Farnham; Gemma Curtis, Craft Programme Co-ordinator, Farnham Maltings and Dr Outi Remes, Gallery Director, New Ashgate Gallery.

The programme is supported by the Billmeir Charitable Trust. It is organised in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts.

View the Rising Stars 2017 digital catalogue at: https://issuu.com/newashgate/docs/rising_stars_2017_catalogue_with_co

Jane Crisp - Contemporary Take on the Classic Trug - Maker in Focus

Jane Crisp in her studio

17 September to 5 November 2016

Jane Crisp - Contemporary Take on the Classic Trug - Maker in Focus

As a child Jane was taught the importance of looking after our habitats, environment and each other and the positive affect this has on our lives. She became interested in the beauty of necessity, the mother of all invention. Jane believes that functional objects can be elevated, in very simple ways creating heirlooms and longevity in designs we live with every day.

Jane takes inspiration from her local Norfolk and Cambridgeshire countryside, history and tradition, flora and fauna. She loves colour and the textural qualities of natural materials like wood, wool and copper. Jane experiments with the power of invention through processes such as steam-bending that expose the natural properties of materials but also references history and sentiment.

Jane amplifies these traditional values, in an innovative way using the simplification of processes, crafts and construction techniques to celebrate the simplicity of design that unifies form and function. This innocence, honesty and naivety expose an understanding of how it was made to teach and inspire children and adults in the mythology of making and materials.

Maker in Focus: Ken Eardley and the Wondrous World of Colour & Shape

Ken Eardley, ceramic plant pots

12 January to 23 February 2019

Maker in Focus: Ken Eardley and the Wondrous World of Colour & Shape

Brighten up your home and kitchen with Ken Eardley's decorative ceramic ware that brings vibrancy into the everyday.

With a background in textiles, Ken explores his passion for strong graphic patterns and colour in his fun, bold and functional ceramics featuring birds, flora and fauna, polka dots and love hearts.

Ken's pieces are hand-made glazed earthenware and made using press-moulds. His ranges include vases, jugs, mugs, bowls and lamps and are all hand-painted. Ken lives in Brighton.

At the same time in the gallery, we feature new paintings by Emma Dunbar that celebrates the joyful richness of the everyday, creating a beautiful dialogue with Ken's work.

Peter Hayes: Fire, Earth Water - Evolving Ceramics

Peter Hayes, Standing Stone

12 January to 23 February 2019

Peter Hayes: Fire, Earth Water - Evolving Ceramics

My aim in my work is not to compete with nature; but for the work to evolve within the environment. (Peter Hayes)

We are delighted to welcome back Peter Hayes, the internationally renown sculptor and ceramicist working in Bath.

The distinctive organic appearance of Peter Hayes' work builds on the techniques and methods he learned in Africa, India, Asia and New Mexico. Peter is drawn to the shapes of artefacts from other cultures and times that remain timeless.

Peter is interested in the process of change in objects: his work does not compete with nature; but evolves within the environment. For example, the introduction of minerals into the ceramic surface such as iron and copper with the elements of time and erosion creates unique pieces. Similarly, the individual character of materials exposes both limitations and tolerance. As Peter says, each individual piece takes on its own developing surface; its own history and aesthetic.

Jane Muir - Maker in Focus

9 June to 21 July 2018

Jane Muir - Maker in Focus

We love the work of ceramicist Jane Muir who specialises in idiosyncratic hand painted figures representing a witty and uncluttered observation of the world. Figures that stand alone or placed in an architectural landscape are hand modelled, allowing her the freedom to sketch with clay and develop ideas during the making process. Jane Muir studied ceramics at Central St Martins School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Since leaving the RCA in 1992 she has exhibited widely, notably in Ceramic Contemporaries and the V&A.

Pete Jackman: Icelandic Landscapes, with Ceramics by Michelle Freemantle

Pete Jackman, Búrfell

21 April to 2 June 2018

Pete Jackman: Icelandic Landscapes, with Ceramics by Michelle Freemantle

We are delighted to present new work by Pete Jackman. Pete's drawings and paintings are interpretations of landscapes and objects within the landscape in a semi abstract form. The current work is a result of recent visits to the north and south of Iceland.

Michelle Freemantle creates functional ceramics that are tactile and visually pleasing, using a mix of hand built, press mold and thrown techniques. Lines and text, often snippets of thoughts or poetry written during her travels, are inscribed into the surfaces and slips applied.
'Landlines' is Michelle latest range and is inspired by the landscape of the East Yorkshire Wolds where she lives.

Sarah Shaw: Animus

Sarah Shaw, Rorschach series, Selfie. Diptych. Oil on canvas

13 January to 24 February 2018

Sarah Shaw: Animus

Sarah Shaw's paintings hover in a place between figuration and non-figuration which allows the viewer the space to impose their own interpretation. Symbolic images are explored in the painterly dialogue to speak of some of the conditions of being human and also of the concept of living through time.

"Shaw's paintings sneak right up to the classical formulas of beauty and composition, and then quickly back away again leaving the viewer wanting. She dangles completion in front of the onlooker like an unreachable carrot. While this palpable manipulation is at times uncomfortable, its reflection in contemporary life is equally so. The works evokes the emotions of incompleteness and wanting that can riddle this over-promised and unfulfilled 3rd millennium reality." (Seth Orion Schwaiger MFA, GSA)

Sarah graduated from Falmouth College of Art in 2001 with a first class honours degree in Fine Art. Her work has been purchased by private collectors in the UK and abroad. She works from her studio in Brighton. Sarah is the first prize winner at British Women Artists Competition (2017) and the winner of the University of Chichester's Fine Art award for the South of England (2016).

Mirka Janeckova and Olivia Walker: Beautiful Form

Olivia Walker, Sheep Skin Bowl. Limoges porcelain, thrown and hand-built

30 September to 11 November 2017

Mirka Janeckova and Olivia Walker: Beautiful Form

This exhibition brings together Mirka Janeckova and Olivia Walker. Over the last few years, Mirka and Olivia's work has become known for its exceptional beauty and skill of making.

Dreamy landscapes of the deep sea inspire Mirka's forms while her jewellery is a container for wearer's emotions, memories and hopes. Her pieces refer to the body in an abstract way, exploring the relationship between people and their subconscious mind. The work is made from porcelain, glass, sterling silver and white pearls. Porcelain has the potential to be shaped into virtually any form and challenges restricted traditional cuts of gemstones. Porcelain pieces appear fragile but they are surprisingly durable with hardness 7 on Mohs scale - the same as most semiprecious stones.

Olivia's work plays within the space where the man-made and the natural intersect. Olivia throws precise forms in porcelain before covering and submerging them in organic repetitive patterns, made up of individually applied shards of porcelain. These accretions are always different. They speak of organisms - fungus, coral and bacteria - but are unidentifiable, growing over and eating up the form beneath. Olivia is interested in the tension between the ordered and precise object - mechanically thrown and trimmed on the wheel, and the rough, mossy, textured growth upon.

Hothouse 2017:  Spot the Talent

OLL, Crease brooch, Fold brooch, Sandwich necklace. Polymer, gold filled wire. Photo: Anya Kovalieva

12 August to 23 September 2017

Hothouse 2017: Spot the Talent

This exhibition celebrates fresh, innovative and bespoke craft and is part of our programme to introduce some of the most exciting new makers to art lovers and collectors.

The makers are selected from the Crafts Council's prestigious Hothouse 2017 programme that offers a stepping stone for new makers wishing to break into the sector. Join us to see their work before the makers are spotted by high profile manufacturers and retail outlets as Liberty London or Harrods. This is an opportunity to invest in the future of British crafts.

The exhibition features work by Elizabeth Jane Campbell, Casabi Designs (Chloé Smith), Majeda Clarke, Forest + Found, Kate Haywood, Sarah Hitchens, Line Nilsen, OLL (Anya Kovalieva), Amanda Priest, Julia Rushworth, Sophie Southgate and Charlotte Wilkinson

The New Ashgate Gallery is a Hothouse partner. Hothouse 2017 is a Crafts Council initiative where selected makers take part in the six-month programme which is delivered in partnership across four regions in the UK. It includes workshops, 1:1 mentoring and connects the maker to a national network of makers and organisations. It provides the maker with the tools to grow a sustainable and successful business when they need these skills most - at the start of their career.

Jane Wormell: Botanical Landscapes

Jane Wormell, Early Summer, oil on linen

12 August to 23 September 2017

Jane Wormell: Botanical Landscapes

Jane works from a studio in North London where she has created a flower-filled courtyard garden, where she gathers the subjects that inspire her paintings.

Jane's work encompass small, intense studies of individual plants and large expansive canvases of hedgerows and flower borders. She is driven by her love of plants and the English landscape, and a quiet intensity and northern light infuses her work.

She is interested in the structure of the plants but also the atmosphere they create and their relationship with the vegetation around them. Jane says: I think of my botanical subjects as landscapes, exploring the interplay of light and tone and the spaces and rhythms between each plant to bring out the beauty and the drama of the forms.

Jane works in oil on linen, building up layers of colour to create carefully constructed, highly detailed paintings. An obsessive gardener, Jane is never happier than when sitting with a cup of tea and a seed catalogue amongst her plants.

Cathy Miles: Maker in Focus

Cathy Miles, Large Bright Orange Bird

24 June to 5 August 2017

Cathy Miles: Maker in Focus

Cathy Miles makes quirky, three-dimensional drawings and sculptures depicting birds and everyday objects out of wire and found objects.

Cathy's work exploits the boundaries between the 2 and 3 dimensional through the use of line while she captures the essence of her subjects. Cathy blends fact and fiction to create pieces that encourage the viewer's imagination. Cathy's sculptures tell a witty and facilitating story.

Cathy has won many awards and exhibited across the world.

Graham Dean: Dirty Yellow. New paintings by one of Britain's most powerful figurative painters

Graham Dean, Shadow Play, 2017, watercolour

24 June to 5 August 2017

Graham Dean: Dirty Yellow. New paintings by one of Britain's most powerful figurative painters

We are delighted to present a new body of work by one of the best known names in figurative art - Graham Dean. Dean's career has spanned over four decades and his work has been exhibited worldwide. His watercolours are described as 'extraordinary' and 'immensely powerful', depicting relentless investigation of the human body.

These paintings use the figure not in a literal way but as a vehicle to convey ideas, emotions and psychological states: they escape the illustrative through the artist's ability to draw a broader meaning from the deeply personal.

For this exhibition, Dean will present the new "Dirty Yellow" collection that has not been exhibited in the UK. He says: "With 'Dirty Yellow', I changed the way I work, adopting a fluid style, mixing two colours - yellow and charcoal grey. When the paint dried I sometimes worked into the image but more often not as the 'vibrancy' of the painting could be lost."

Dean's (b. 1951, Merseyside) solo exhibitions include Waterhouse & Dodd, Stephen Lacy, Jill George, Austin Desmond in London and at Frans Jacobs/Judith Bouwknegt in Amsterdam. His group shows include John Moores, ICA, Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Royal Academy. Dean has participated in some of the most prestigious art fairs, including FIAC, Paris, TEFAF, Maastricht and Basel Art Fair.

Colour! Print by John Hoyland and Glass by Paul Stopler

John Hoyland, Soulless Stars Cascade

Paul Stopler, group shot, cast-glass, 2015-16 photo: E. Segarra

  • Paul 20Stopler 20group

14 January to 25 February 2017

Colour! Print by John Hoyland and Glass by Paul Stopler

Colour! brings together two artists of different generations: John Hoyland, one of the leading British painters of his generation and Paul Stopler, one of the most exciting names in the glass art today.

As the critic William Feaver wrote, 'A pukka Hoyland is a work not of hand and eye, but of total Self.' And it was this whole-hearted commitment to painting that characterised his six decades of work. His career was decisively influenced in the late 1950s and 1960s by his experience of American Abstract Expressionism. But as an artist and a man he was enough of an individual to be able to knowingly absorb and deflect those influences, and set himself on his own path.

After an initial dalliance with figurative painting in the 1950s he became a life-long proponent of the possibilities of non-figurative imagery, which possessed for him, he once wrote, 'the potential for the most advanced depth of feeling and meaning'. As Andrew Lambirth writes: 'His paintings are abstracts but they are not about absolutes. They are... very particular emotions, thoughts and feelings dependent upon the act of looking.Stopler is a Bristol based glass artist practicing lost-wax kiln-casting. He graduated with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art in 2011, before joining Bristol's Maze Studios in 2012.

Paul's practice is concerned with the craft of lathe-turning waxes to produce unique cast glass vessels. This has led to the development of new cast pieces that reproduce the complexity of the turned wax vessels. Using finishing techniques where the glass is rotated as abrasive grinding and polishing medium are applied, has enabled vessels to be completed in the same turned motion in which the forms were made in the wax.

The pieces are ground and polished to a satin finish, facilitating a soft interior view of light, tone and colour within the glass. Selected facets are polished for contrast. A single translucent colour is chosen for its potential to transmit changing hues and light accents; the deeper the mass of glass, the more saturated the colour.

Craig Underhill: Maker in Focus

Craig Undershill, In the Sky

Craig Undershill, On the Wall

  • On The Wall Copy

14 January to 25 February 2017

Craig Underhill: Maker in Focus

An exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Craig Underhill. Craig's work evokes the feeling of landscapes that he has visited or travelled through. The work is influenced by the inconsequential visual effects that are created in landscapes by the repetitive and methodical actions of humankind as we go about our day to day or year to year routines.

Craig uses the surface of his slab built vessel forms like a canvas onto which he applies mark-making techniques, layers of engobe, slip and underglaze colours. Exploring ideas through drawing is an important part of his making process, which Craig tends to do before committing himself to the ceramic pieces.

Craig says:

In each piece that I make I have endeavoured to create a balance between forms that are man made and those that are naturally created. Some edges have an eroded, random feel while others are straight and angular appearing man made rather than naturally formed. Surfaces are build up of layers of colour and engobe that are painted and over painted, fired and refired, working all the time as a painter applying paint rather than a potter glazing a pot... The fascination of making work is the discovery of finding new ways to express ideas and feelings that couldn't be expressed in any other way.

Choice! New work by members of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery

Mirka Janeckova, Coral Ring, silver ring

17 September to 5 November 2016

Choice! New work by members of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery

ACJ members work in a myriad of materials, from paper & plastics to precious metals, titanium, copper, enamel, steel, found objects and much more. Crossing the boundaries between body adornment and wearable sculpture, the work is exciting, thoughtful and fresh.

We are delighted to present new and fantastic jewellery by Dauvit Alexander, Elizabeth Campbell, Shimara Carlow, Dani Crompton, Amanda Denison, Michelle Fernandez, Shelby Fitzpatrick, Karen Fox, Emma Habbeshon, Masako Hamaguchi, Susi Hines, Mirka Janeckova, Marion Lebouteiller, Fiona Luing, Katy Luxton, Cathy McCarthy, Mandy Nash, Poppy Porter, Alice Portnoy, Jennifer Saker, Abigail Stradling, Su Trindle, Charlotte Verity, DeeLyn Walsh, Trish Woods and Kat Zahran.
Here is a treasure box of delights, jewellery for women & men, beautifully made and wearable.

View work from the show

Surrey Artist of the Year 2016 Competition

Adam Aaronson, Celadon Sails, glass, 2016

  • SAOS LOGO 2010

17 September to 5 November 2016

Surrey Artist of the Year 2016 Competition

The New Ashgate Gallery invites members of the public to come and vote for their favourite artist.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, all offering different materials and techniques, from ceramics, collage, glass, jewellery, painting, and photography to printmaking, sculpture, textiles and woodwork - the wealth of Surrey creative talent.

Again, during the exhibition, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2016. The winner receives a bursary of £1,000 and a solo show. The shortlisted artists are Adam Aaronson, Hannah Bruce, Christine Hopkins, Denise Jaques, JoJo Rowley, Jule Mallett, Rachel Mulligan and Jim Tucker.

The competition is organised in partnership with the Surrey Open Studios. It is supported by the Patricia Baines Trust. Surrey Life magazine, which has a monthly section dedicated to the local art scene, is the official media partner of the competition.

The season includes workshops for adults and artists - please contact us for information.

View the catalogue at: https://issuu.com/newashgate/docs/issuee_booklet_surrey_artist_of_the

Hothouse 6: Meet the best new makers

Sally Burnett, 2016-Fylde3

  • 2016 Fylde3

30 July to 10 September 2016

Hothouse 6: Meet the best new makers

This exhibition introduces the most exciting new makers to collectors. The work is selected from the prestigious Crafts Council's Hothouse programme that offers a vital stepping stone for craft artists wishing to break into the sector. These makers will be snapped up by prestigious retail outlets and manufacturers. This is an opportunity to invest in the future of British crafts when they are still fresh and affordable.

The exhibition presents highly collectable work by Ranti Bamgbala, Sally Burnett, Toby Cotterill, Arjan van Dal, Victoria Claire Dawes, Bola Lyon, Tina MacLeod, Rhian Malin, Kira Meyer, Melissa Montague and Hannah Tounsend. Hannah recently won the New Designer's One Year On exhibition in London.

New Ashgate is a Hothouse partner: Hothouse 6 is the Crafts Council initiative where selected makers take part in the six-month programme which is delivered in partnership across four regions in the UK.

Fifty Years at Waggon Yard: Celebrating the Past, Inspiring the Future

Gareth Mason, A Secret Keeper

11 June to 23 July 2016

Fifty Years at Waggon Yard: Celebrating the Past, Inspiring the Future

The Ashgate Gallery was established in 1959. In 1966, it moved to its current location in Waggon Yard, Farnham. In 2016, the trust celebrates the 50th anniversary in its beautiful 17th century Grade II listed gallery.
The celebration culminates in an exhibition that will showcase the history of creativity, beauty and heritage in the gallery - one of the key not-for-profit organisations in the Farnham Craft Town.

The exhibition offers a showcase of past, present and future artists and makers who have worked with us. It will present new work by Adam Aaronson, Peter Beard, Peter Blake, Emma Dunbar, Michael Fairclough, Peter Hayes, Akiko Hirai, Richard Jack, Anita Klein, Heidi Koenig, Margaret O'Rorke, John Maltby, Gareth Mason, Fiona Millais, Jane Muir, Debbie Prosser, Duncan Ross, Jeni Ross, Guy Royle and Sarah Spackman.

The private view will take place on 10 June, 6-8pm. Ceramic artist Gareth Mason will be giving a mini talk about his work before the private view at 5.50pm. The Mayor of Waverley Borough Council will open the exhibition at 7pm. The music in the evening is by sisters Rachel and Helen Palmer, the Little Iris. They are also playing at Maltings on 29 July.

We are inviting members of the public to come forward and reminisce any stories about their memories of the gallery from 1966, to get in contact email gallery@newashgate.org.uk

Peter Layton: 40 Years of Excellence in Glassmaking

Peter Layton, Black Burano Sailform Pair. Photo by Ester Segarra

23 April to 4 June 2016

Peter Layton: 40 Years of Excellence in Glassmaking

The potential of glass, as an exciting medium for expressive art, has long been under-appreciated. This is rapidly changing as studio glass artists become more adventurous and as fine artists increasingly value its unique properties and versatility and begin to utilise this extraordinary medium in their art.

We feel it is important to acknowledge Peter Layton as someone who has done more than most to advance/further the development of glass as a creative medium for artistic expression.

Peter, affectionately considered the 'grand old man' of British glass will turn 80 next year. Coincidentally his studio, London Glassblowing, among the first in Europe is also celebrating its 40th anniversary as a vibrant creative hub.In the last 40 years scores of talented glassmakers have worked under his tutelage, producing incredible collaborative projects and individual works of glass art.

This exhibition is proposed to mark the occasion, and to celebrate his long and active involvement with the international studio glass movement, in particular his important contribution at the forefront of the British Glass scene.

Peter Layton will be attending the private view on Friday 22 April, please contact us to book a place for a free mini talk by Peter before the private view at 5.45pm.

A Jewel Made in Greece

23 April to 4 June 2016

A Jewel Made in Greece

This contemporary jewellery showcase presents stunning Greek jewellery by 15 renown Greek makers. The exhibition highlights the creative dialogue between the culture and the history of Greek jewellery. It will provide visitors with a collection of pieces that are influenced by ancient Greek adornments. From Mycenaean masks, Byzantine silver wedding crowns to Macedonian burial wreaths, each has been re-imagined as a rich source of inspiration for a contemporary creation that has attracted international acclaim.

We are delighted to present work by Apostolos Kleitsiotis, Eleni Orfanou, Michael Pelamidis, Polina Sapouna-Ellis, Elen Zolia, Margarita Chrissaki, Eleni Daskalaki, Mary Samoli, Christina Soubli, Tina Karageorgi, Vaso Kaloudioti, Dolly Boucouyiannis, Vally Kontidis, Sarina Beza, Tatiana Choremi and Xenia Nefelly Vlachou.

The exhibition is organised in partnership with A Jewel Made in Greece (AJMIG).

Rising Stars 2016

Aimee Bollu, Curious Boxes. Photo by Yasmin Ensor

Georgia Lingwood, Locust.

  • Locust. Georgia Lingwood.

4 March to 16 April 2016

Rising Stars 2016

Rising Stars is a platform to view and collect some of the most exciting new art and craft by emerging artists and makers from crafts and applied arts programmes across the UK. This curated exhibition is accompanied by professional development and a cash prize. In the past, many of the selected exhibitors have gone on to a high profile career and elite programmes such as Hothouse supported by Crafts Council.

Many artists and makers who have just completed an MA or BA, or are still studying, are at a cross roads. They have a full portfolio of fabulous ideas, but do not have the proven exhibitor track record that most galleries are looking for. The New Ashgate Gallery offers an important platform and for many the starting point to an exceptional career.

The selected shortlist consists of Mike Barrett, Charlotte Biszewski, Aimee Bollu, Emma Buckley, Rachel Butlin, Karen Elizabeth Donovan, Carol Hunt, Tae Yeon Kim, Georgia Lingwood, Joanna Lloyd, Sarah Luxford, Jane Ogden-Swift, Henry Pucknell, Emma-Jane Rule, Emily Stapleton-Jefferis, Mircea Teleaga, Albeiro Rojas Tomedes and Melissa Yarlett. One of the participant will be chosen by a panel of judges as the Rising Stars 2016 winner - she or he will receive a cash prize and an exhibition at New Ashgate in 2017.

The selectors were Rebecca Skeels, Post Graduate Subject & Senior Tutor for University of Creative Arts Farnham; Caitlin Heffernan, Visual Officer for Surrey Arts and Caroline Jackman, artist and arts manager.

The programme is supported by the Billmeir Charitable Trust. It organised in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts.

The catalogue for the exhibition is available at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/new-ashgate-gallery/rising-stars-2016/paperback/product-22571051.html

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2015

Christiane Zschommler, photography

9 October to 14 November 2015

Surrey Artist of the Year Competition 2015

The New Ashgate Gallery invites members of the public to come and vote for their favourite artist.

Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a valuable partnership between New Ashgate gallery and Surrey Artists Open Studios. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality fine arts and craft as voted for by the public during their June Surrey open studio visits.

The top 10 artists come together for a programme of events including exhibition throughout the New Ashgate Gallery in October. There is always a fabulous variety of artworks on show, all offering different materials and techniques, from ceramics, collage, glass, jewellery, painting, and photography to printmaking, sculpture, textiles and woodwork. Members will not be disappointed by the wealth of Surrey creative talent.

Members of the public are encouraged to vote for their favourite artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2015. Judging this year's overall winner will be Mr Robert Moore, the Patricia Baines Trust; Jane McGibbon, Surrey Artists Open Studios Coordinator and Caroline Harrap, editor of the Surrey Life magazine. The winner receives a bursary worth £1,000 and a solo show at New Ashgate Gallery.

1 September to 3 October 2015

Maker in Focus: Silvia K Ceramics

Coming from Slovakia, a country of incredible cultural heritage, Silvia has always had a passion and respect for crafts. She believes that heritage is a vital element of our cultural and social history.

She has a particular interest in folkloristic traditions. Silvia works in a thoughtful way and produces work that shows an aesthetic sensibility and reflects her interests.

She studied at the University of Brighton (2009-2012), MDes 3D Materials Practice specialising in ceramics and visual research, achieving Distinction.

Farnham Craft Trail

Jackie Jackman calligraphy

30 September to 31 October 2015

Farnham Craft Trail

New Ashgate Gallery has coordinated a craft trail in Farnham Town Centre. 18 venues will be showing work by local makers, from the end of September until the end of October in celebration of Farnham Craft Month. Each participating venue will be displaying a piece or pieces of craft, uniquely made; there will be such a variety from ceramics, calligraphy to textiles, printmaking and willow. We invite members of the public to complete the trail and enter our free prize draw.
Each venue will be displaying work either in their window space or within their premises. This trail has been organised by New Ashgate Gallery and funded by Farnham Town Council. Each maker will have details about their practice displayed alongside their work. If you have any questions about any of the makers on the trail, please contact New Ashgate Gallery either via email gallery@newashgate.org.uk or call 01252 713 208.

Myung Nam An Ceramics

21 August to 3 October 2015

Myung Nam An Ceramics

The New Ashgate Gallery is thrilled to be showcasing stunning ceramics by Myung Na An. Based in London, Myung Nam An's incredibly intricate and detailed ceramics are beautiful, bright, colourful, exciting, funky and very desirable. As you enter the gallery, you are greeted by an imposing beetle adorning the wall, at first you are apprehensive then immediately you are drawn to the exquisite detail. You immediately want to touch, then spot that each spine on the beetle is not tactile silicone, but individual ceramic pieces.

As you explore the rest of the gallery, you see spots of vibrant colour on the walls, at first you think flowers, then upon closer inspection could they are eyes or sea anemones, each viewer creates their own interpretation.

Myung says: ''By working with ceramics and using colour, it is my hope to marry the beautiful form with imagery that subtly informs or confronts the viewer to think about a larger issue - to ignite the thought provoking process. It is my goal to address people's ideals and thoughts about what is beautiful and to try and encourage the viewer to investigate and hopefully question or think about issues that are taking place all around us''.

This is an exhibition not to be missed and one that will inspire

Hothouse 5 - Selected Craft Showcase

2 July to 15 August 2015

Hothouse 5 - Selected Craft Showcase

Private view and meet the artists: Thursday 2 July, 6-8pm
Hothouse 5 is a Crafts Council initiative where 39 makers have been selected to take part in the six-month programme which is delivered in partnership across four regions in the UK.

Hothouse is a great platform for collectors, and we are delighted that we are representing 12 selected makers: Tess Wakeling (Paper/lighting); Emily Kidson (Jewellery ); Hollie Paxton (Jewellery); Jane Crisp (Furniture and products); Nadia Ricketts (Textiles); Catherine MacGruer (Knitted Textiles); Ruth Hollywood (Jewellery); Sian Patterson (Ceramics); Beatrix Baker (Wood/Mixed media); Jasmine Simpson (Ceramics); Judith Watson (Textiles) and Katherine Lees (Ceramics)

Manifest

20 August to 30 September 2015

Manifest

Designer Jewellers Group

A touring exhibition of jewellery designed for the hand. Bangles, rings, bracelets, hand pieces and cufflinks made from rubies, roses, straw, silver, gold, acrylic, paper, porcelain, polypropylene, aluminium and wood.Tour starts in Oxford in July, then to New Ashgate Gallery and then Leeds

Printmakers Council 50:50
The national representative of original printmaking in the UK hosts a selected showcase celebrating their 50th Anniversary

14 May to 27 June 2015

Printmakers Council 50:50 The national representative of original printmaking in the UK hosts a selected showcase celebrating their 50th Anniversary

We are delighted to welcome the Printmakers Council to the New Ashgate Gallery to host a selected exhibition in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Their members have been invited to submit original prints that respond to the title 50:50. Examples of work considered include a print measuring 50 cm or based on equal halves, a happy medium or a fifty percent chance.

Emma Finch: New Collection

14 May to 27 June 2015

Emma Finch: New Collection

Emma's work chronicles the ever-changing face of London; the built, rebuilt, remodelled and reused; Creating layers and broken surfaces, laid and over-laid in a constant cycle. Buildings are Emma's vocabulary, they provide the impetus for her work, documenting and celebrating often undervalued and unappreciated spaces and structures; a commemoration of the dilapidation of buildings and the continuum of overlaid edifices, one over another, epitomised by building sites, demolitions as well as new constructions. Emma completed her MA in ceramics and glass at Royal College of Art and has been selected for Crafts Council Hothouse programme 2015

Hothouse 4: New Ashgate Selects

Sue Brown, Ladies and Gentlemen

21 June to 2 August 2014

Hothouse 4: New Ashgate Selects

In 2013, Crafts Council announced 38 makers for its six-month Hothouse programme from January 2014, which is delivered in partnership across four regions: the South West, North, South East and Midlands. Alongside the Craft Study Centre, Farnham and Making Space, Havant, New Ashgate Gallery has been supporting the programme of emerging makers in the South East.

Celebrating the talent in the programme, New Ashgate Gallery invites twelve makers, three from each cohort to exhibit in the gallery's summer exhibition that will focus on bespoke, collectable crafts, priced £1,000 or less. While showcasing the work, the exhibition will also be a collector opportunity for those who wish to buy the work and invest in new talent.

We are delighted to announce that the twelve makers selected for the exhibition are Jenny Ayrton, Elaine Bolt, Sarah Brown, Sue Brown, Marie Canning, Adam Collins, Katharina Eisenkoeck, Elaine Jenkins, Alex McCarthy, Imogen Noble, Paula Ortega and Stephanie Tudor.

Kelly Munro: Maker in Focus

Kelly Munro

20 March to 9 May 2015

Kelly Munro: Maker in Focus

Kelly Munro, the 2014 winner of Rising Stars award. Kelly graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art and has 1st Class BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing in 2013. Her unqiue jewellery is inspired by her small hometown north coast of Scotland, well known for its historical fishing industry. She has a particular interest in fishing equipment used in the past and present. This inspiration is reflected in the lobster pots as a starting point for her graduation show work. This has evolved through stages of material exploration and settled at the combination of 'weathering' wood and traditional metal techniques.
technique of intricate saw piercing enables me to create nets and lightweight structures. I aim to shadow the forms of the nets and pots, and loosely interoperate these shapes in my own way. My work aims to portray the rustic look of items found near harbours and tide lines.

Rising Stars 2015

Rising Stars 2015

20 March to 9 May 2015

Rising Stars 2015

Rising Stars is a platform to view and collect some of the most exciting new crafts by emerging makers from crafts and applied arts programmes across the UK. This curated, selling exhibition will be showcased at the New Ashgate, Farnham, accompanied by professional development and a £500.00 prize.

For many artists and makers who have just completed an MA or BA, they are at a cross roads, where they have a full portfolio of fabulous ideas, but do not have the proven exhibitor track record that most galleries look for. The New Ashgate Gallery offers just the right platform and for many the starting point to an exceptional career

HOLD IT! The Art of the Modern Medal: British Art Medal Society Student Medal Project

Carrie Dickens, home/here, Royal College of Art, The Worshipful Company of Founders Grand First Prize (£750)

  • British Art Medal Society

8 March to 19 April 2014

HOLD IT! The Art of the Modern Medal: British Art Medal Society Student Medal Project

The Student Medal Project, now in its 21st year, is a success story for bringing the art of the modern medal into the art college curriculum, whether in sculpture, metal work or jewellery. It is an introduction to the age-old art of bronze casting, where students themselves each create a small but powerful work of two-sided relief sculpture, which can be held in the hand.

This exhibition takes us from the political to the personal, the abstract to the mainstream, as the students - and some professional makers - express their creativity and craftsmanship in the surprising medium of the modern art medal.

The British Art Medal Society, which is behind this Project, is based at the British Museum. It also commissions medals every year for sale to its members, arranges lectures and conferences. At the British Museum can be found the country's wide-ranging collection of modern art medals, including student medals it has purchased. Each year colleges around the UK are invited to participate, plus an academy from abroad, this year, the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. The culmination of the Project is the annual exhibition, which in 2014 will be held at New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham, Surrey. The winners were selected from 115 medals by students in the UK, and 13 from the University in Sofia, and 6 from the High School. They are:

- The Worshipful Company of Founders Grand First Prize: Carrie Dickens, home/here, Royal College of Art
- The Grand Second Prize, presented by Thomas Fattorini Ltd: Anna Everett, Bring 'Em Back, Stafford College
- The Worshipful Company of Cutlers for a 'cutting edge' medal: Nicola Kerslake, You Will be my Death, Falmouth University
- The Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers, Dustin Jessen, My Sister and her Daughter (meine schwester & ihre tochter), Royal College of Art
- The 'Herbie Prize' for a medal that deals with a current topic/social/political: Halina Dominska, What are you thinking when you look at me?, Birmingham City University, School of Jewellery
- Pangolin Editions: Natasha Brayton, Time Medal, Loughborough University, 3D Design and New Practice
- Morton & Eden Ltd: David Beattie, Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hounds, West Wales School of the Arts.
- Prize presented by Niagara Falls Castings Ltd: Holly Higgins, we beat on...', Edinburgh College of Art, Jewellery & Silversmithing.
- Honourable Mention Prize, the Bigbury Mint (an individual cast tin piece): Megan Sarah Davies, Home is Where the Heart is, West Wales School of the Arts
- The 'Best Guest Prize' to the invited foreign academy/university
- Lunts Casting Ltd: Nikoleta Ivanova, Door, National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Peter Hayes: Time and Nature in Raku

Peter Hayes

9 August to 20 September 2014

Peter Hayes: Time and Nature in Raku

Peter Hayes is interested in - why and how 'things' are made of clay. One of the major introductions he had to ceramics was digging Neolithic Iron Age and Roman Samien shards on archaeological digs somewhere in Wales while trying to survive as an art student in Birmingham. He is drawn to shapes of artefacts and objects from other cultures and other times, but that remain timeless.

Erosion and change through time and nature are recorded in a piece. Peter's work is not to compete with nature; but for the work to evolve within the environment. The minerals, like iron and copper, that he introduces into the 'Raku' ceramic surface have their affect on the clay during the time they are submerged in the river or the sea. This erosion process continues with sanding so that the texture and cracks do not interrupt the surface but become an organic, integral part of the patina. Each individual piece takes on its own developing surface; its own history and its aesthetic.

Organic Matter: Rising Stars Commission by Rachel Britch

  • Blank

8 March to 19 April 2014

Organic Matter: Rising Stars Commission by Rachel Britch

Installation in the Foyer Ceiling
Rachel will be giving a talk on 2 April, 5.30-6.30pm. Free admission, no booking required.

Rachel Britch's practice focuses on current global issues, specifically on sustainability and growing urban populations. Working with these ideas allows her to develop interior hand crafted objects that are concept lead. Through her degree Rachel developed precision making skills and found her passion for large scale installations and site-specific sculpture. Using re-cycled and biodegradable materials connected without chemicals or adhesives sheds a light on ideas surrounding over consumption and waste. Objects are constructed out of repeated elements, building up to create something complex out of simple units. Through this way of working unlikely or waste materials are used to create innovative, hand crafted objects. Rachel's practice straddles both conceptual design and handmade craft sectors, creating products that are beautiful and ethical. Rachel Britch lives and works in Manchester.

Rising Stars 2014 is produced by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with Milton Keynes Arts Centre and Smiths Row, a-n The Artists Information Company and University for the Creative Arts. It is supported by Arts Council England and Billmeir Charitable Trust.

Ikuko Iwamoto: Maker in Focus

18 January to 1 March 2014

Ikuko Iwamoto: Maker in Focus

The ceramic sculpture and tableware by Ikuko, the quirky and critically acclaimed Japanese ceramic artist.

Ikuko says: I make exquisite cups and other objects for a bizarre tea ceremony. They suggest the everyday, the ordinary, but are in fact extra-ordinary. They are the vehicle to make visible an invisible, microscopic world. A world of intricacy and detail, mathematical pattern and organic chaos, beauty and repulsion."

There is also a Japanese theme in ceramics in our Spring Collection that presents Yo Thom, Akiko Hirai, Chito Kuroda and Namiko Murakoshi, curated by Yuka Kikumoto.

Rising Stars 2014

Hajnalka Rezes, Red connected cutlery, Connected bowls, double ended spoons with a plate 2013

  • Arts Council Lottery
  • University for the Creative Arts
  • Milton Keynes Arts Centre
  • Smiths Row
  • a-n, the Artist Information Company

8 March to 19 April 2014

Rising Stars 2014

Rising Stars is a platform to view and collect some of the most exciting new crafts by emerging makers from crafts and applied arts programmes across the UK. This curated, selling exhibition will tour from New Ashgate, Farnham (8 March - 19 April), to Milton Keynes Arts Centre (26 April - 31 May) and Smiths Row, Bury St Edmunds (7 June - 12 July).

The winner will receive a cash prize, an exhibition and support from a-n The Artists Information Company. This year's shortlist consists of Élodie Alexandre, Elizabeth Ashdown, Juliette Bigley, Rachel Britch, Jessica Coleman, Polly Collins, Brittany Delany, Eva Farkasova, Joanna Fronczak, Jessica Frost, Kerstin Haigh, Ruth Harrison, Anna Collette Hunt, Mirka Janeckova, Anum Khan, Lisa Larcombe, Beatrice Larkin, Anne Laycock, Beth Lewis-Williams, Agnieszka Maksymiuk, Elise Menghini, Kelly Munro, Izzy Parker, Anastasija Pjatnicka, Hajnalka Rezes, Charlotte Stockley, Julia Webster, Simon Wilks, Penny Wheeler, Hannah Rose Whittle, Cristina Zani and Sevak Zargarian. We also present new jewellery by Heather Woof, the 2013 winner of Rising Stars award.

Open submissions were invited from undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates who completed their study in last 24 months. The judges were Maureen Bampton, Director, Bluecoat Display Centre; Lucy Day, the Day + Gluckman curatorial partnership and a professional development advisor at a-n The Artists Information Company; and Rebecca Skeels, designer-maker and Subject Leader for the Post Graduate School of Craft and Design, University for the Creative Arts.

Rising Stars 2014 is produced by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with Milton Keynes Arts Centre and Smiths Row, a-n The Artists Information Company and University for the Creative Arts. It is supported by Arts Council England and Billmeir Charitable Trust.

View the programme: leaflet
View the makers: catalogue
Buy the catalogue at: www.lulu.com
View information about the Rising Symposium, here

Bow: Installation by Flora Gare

Flora Gare, Bow, installation view, 2013

16 November 2013 to 26 February 2014

Bow: Installation by Flora Gare

Rainbows have become a symbolic of hope and peace but one of the oldest recordings of a rainbow is in the bible as a promise from God to Noah that he would never again send a flood to destroy earth. It has also been used to describe a bridge connecting earth to heaven, or to a brighter, place full of hope.

Bow is a large scale installation in the form of an arc suspended from the gallery ceiling, engaging with the architecture and natural light. It is made frompoured liquid resin, allowed to take its own form, then combined with stretched photographic images. The resulting layered patterns resemble a landscape of reflected light or frozen ice taking the themes of stretching time and distorted memories.

After completing a BA Hons, Fine Art, Flora started the MA Sculpture at Winchester School of Art. Flora has been Artist in Residence at the Farnham Maltings, received a grant for the project research at Frimley Park Hospital and completed another residency at St Andrew's Church, Farnham. She has created work for the Royal London Hospital and was Artist in Residence at St Catherine's School, Bramley, creating large living willow sculpture with the students and a light sculpture commission for the school.

Ashraf Hanna: Maker in Focus

Ashraf Hanna: Two Vessels

26 April to 7 June 2014

Ashraf Hanna: Maker in Focus

Ashraf Hanna is an internationally acclaimed ceramic artist whose work is concerned with exploring how scale, colour, texture and material inform our perception and understanding of form. The space an object occupies through its scale has a significant role in determining our relationship with it. Colour, whether bright, soft, intense or vivid has a powerful effect in defining its character. Textural treatment invites us to examine the tactile qualities of the surface and how this influences our ability to read and comprehend a form. This is further emphasised when choosing the material, solid, dense ceramics or translucent glass.

Ashraf is interested in lines and spaces that develop through manipulation of the volume within forms and also their relationship to one another. The interaction between sharp and organic lines creates subtle and sometimes pronounced curves that invite the eye to engage with the sculptural aesthetics of the form.

The Intimate Act of Jewellery: Performance by Izzy Parker

7 March 2014

The Intimate Act of Jewellery: Performance by Izzy Parker

Friday 7 March, 6-8pm, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham
Friday 25 April, 6-8pm, Milton Keynes Arts Centre, Milton Keynes
Saturday 7 June, 2-4pm, Smiths Row, Bury St Edmunds.

The Intimate Act of Jewellery is part of Izzy's Intimacy series which contains a number of interactive installations and jewellery pieces that explore cultural anthropology, each element exploring and questioning our perspectives on social boundaries. Can jewellery provoke intimacy between two strangers? Royal College of Art graduate and Craft's Council Hothouse 4 participant Izzy Parker explores just that, with three interactive installations during the touring exhibition Rising Stars.

Rising Stars 2014
is produced by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with Milton Keynes Arts Centre and Smiths Row, a-n The Artists Information Company and University for the Creative Arts. It is supported by Arts Council England and Billmeir Charitable Trust.

Emily Gardiner: Rising Stars Winner 2015: one year on

Emily Gardiner

5 March to 16 April 2016

Emily Gardiner: Rising Stars Winner 2015: one year on

We are delighted to host a new collection of work by Emily Gardiner, a year on from winning Rising Stars 2015. Her work is superbly made and full of humour and question, bringing ceramics to life.

The physicality of matter and convergence of materials are at the heart of Emily's practice. Coming from a background in interactive media, Emily is unsettled by the modern obsession with virtuality. She believes the physical offers something tangible and therefore more 'real' than virtual experience, which is essentially illusory. Emily proposes that if material is reality and reality is truth, the raw, visceral qualities of matter could anchor us to the real world through their physical and tangible existence, in a way that the virtual cannot.

Cheese and Wine Night with Farnham Chamber of Commerce - NOW FULLY BOOKED

7 February 2019

Cheese and Wine Night with Farnham Chamber of Commerce - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Farnham Chamber of Commerce members, local businesses and residents are invited to attend for a cheese and wine evening on 7 February in the Gallery, between 5.30 and 7.30pm.

Guests will be invited to view our exhibitions: Colour in the Snow by Emma Dunbar, Fire, Earth Water by Peter Hayes and Maker in Focus: Ken Eardley and the Wondrous World of Colour & Shapes. With Valentine's day just around the corner, this is a great opportunity to meet and network with like-minded businesses and see what the Gallery has to offer. The evening is also an opportunity to meet Emma Dunbar, the lead artist of the season.

Farnham based independent financial advisers and Chamber members, Fish Financial Limited has kindly agreed to sponsor the wine which will be provided by a local wine supplier. Park Steele sponsors the cheese which will be provided by a local vegan cheese supplier.

The event is free to attend but we would ask you to please register your attendance so that we can cater. Bookings at: https://bit.ly/2ELHWXi

Catherine Dunstan: Transmissions

Catherine Dunstan Serotonin (detail) 2022, 50 x 43 x 6cm. Photo: Nicola Simpson

27 January to 10 February 2024

Catherine Dunstan: Transmissions

Catherine Dunstan comes to New Ashgate with a previously unseen collection of glass artworks developed over the course of 2023. From large, lit wall artworks to miniature sculptures, each piece features Catherine's signature kaleidoscopic designs. Using light, colour and pattern to communicate, this collection invites a moment for pause and escapism.

Catherine utilises a unique pattern-making process in glass called Colour Blooming, which she developed during her MA study at UCA, Farnham. Each artwork explores the unique capacity glass holds to stretch and warp in the kiln and they contain hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hand-cut pieces of coloured sheet glass.

Catherine's graduate work was recognised by the Contemporary Glass Society with a Commendation in their New Graduate Review. She was shortlisted for New Ashgate Gallery's Rising Stars Prize 2021 and selected for inclusion in the British Glass Biennale 2022 exhibition as part of the International Festival of Glass. Transmissions is her first solo show.

Catherine McVean: Artist in Focus

Catherine McVean, Tanqueray Gin & Lemons, oil, 2023

13 January to 9 March 2024

Catherine McVean: Artist in Focus

Catherine is renowned for her still life oil paintings, characterised as serene celebrations of everyday moments. Bringing a contemporary touch to traditional subjects, she emphasises colour, texture, and composition. Catherine's fascination with metal, glass, and reflections showcases her keen interest in the interplay of light and colour. Opting to paint from life, she captures the emotional essence of a scene with her personal response.

Despite a previous career as a strategy and business consultant in London, Brussels, and Oman, Catherine transitioned to professional painting in 2019. Returning to the UK in 2020, she now dedicates herself entirely to her art from her studio in Ascot. Catherine also shares her passion by teaching drawing and painting classes for adults since 2019.

Farnham Legends: Elizabeth Mikellides | Chloe S. Moncrieff | Fiona Pearce

Chloe S Moncrieff, Tice's Meadow Barn Owl, watercolour and acrylic on paper, 29 x 42cm

13 January to 9 March 2024

Farnham Legends: Elizabeth Mikellides | Chloe S. Moncrieff | Fiona Pearce

Farnham Legends is a show by female collective, Breaking Ground of Elizabeth Mikellides, Chloe S. Moncrieff and Fiona Pearce, drawing inspiration from Farnham's rich, historical tapestry of folklore, music and scenic landscape.

Looking back at their local region, Breaking Ground, will bring stories of past and present to the fore, while investigating their own identity and heritage in a variety of two-dimensional pieces in acrylic, mixed media and digital fine art on metal.

Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

Jack Doherty, Round Vessel

13 January to 9 March 2024

Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

As a potter and ceramic artist Jack Doherty has gained an international reputation in the UK and abroad for his work with one clay body, one mineral and one single firing technique. Through this singleness of process Jack is able to obtain a complex, multi-layering of surface texture and colour, whilst remaining true to the form.

Born in Co Derry, Jack Doherty studied at the Ulster College of Art and Design in Belfast wanting to be a painter, but after a visit to Lucie Rie's studio he decided he wanted to make pots for a living. On graduating he worked at Kilkenny Design Workshops before establishing his first studio in Co Armagh and then relocated to Herefordshire. From 2008 - 2013 Jack was the first Lead Potter and Creative Director at the refurbished Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall where he established the production studio and designed a contemporary domestic range of soda-fired tableware.

Jack's ceramic vessels are now represented in many public collections. He works from his home studio in Cornwall, and is resident potter at the Newlyn School of Art where he fires his gas kiln.

View work from the show

Tony Laverick: Maker in Focus

Tony Laverick, Untitled, 2023, 32cm

11 November 2023 to 6 January 2024

Tony Laverick: Maker in Focus

Tony Laverick works in hand thrown and slabbed porcelain which is decorated using precious metal lustres with multiple refirings. His ceramics are based on traditional forms. They have no specific meaning, but draw on many sources and cultures creating a juxtaposition of images. Tony is influenced by French potters, personal experiences and also 20th century artists such as Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.

Technique is a high priority and the skill has to be evident in each piece. From the rim, neck, shoulder, belly to the foot of the pot, there should be harmony and balance. There is a playfulness in his work with shapes jumping out and receding; seemingly flat shapes become dimensional. Above all, he strives to achieve pure beauty in each finished piece and uses a specially developed body that has allowed Tony to make thicker pieces which are mostly hand-built. It is this process and the materials used that make the intriguing surfaces which whilst looking rough are smooth and tactile.

Tony Laverick was trained in Studio Ceramics at Preston Polytechnic from 1981-84. He gained a Distinction from the Society of Designer Craftsmen. He then worked in the ceramic industry, in Stoke-on-Trent, including Coalport China as a designer from 1986-88. In 1988 he set up his own studio near Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands. He has worked there as a full-time professional ceramic artist since then. In 2014, Tony was made a Fellow Member of the Craft Potter's Association. In 2015, he was selected to be a member of Contemporary Applied Arts.

Craft Month workshops for families & adults

Halloween Cross Stitch with Jane Browne

  • Kerry Lemon, Nature Tiles

23 to 26 October 2023

Craft Month workshops for families & adults

We believe in providing high quality craft access and skills to all and we are delighted to present an exciting, free-to-attend, family programme, which includes the following events:

Mon 23 October, 11-12.30: HALLOWEEN CROSS STITCH with Jane Browne
NOW FULLY BOOKED - WAITLIST.
Create a Halloween motif in cross stitch with Jane Browne, the Surrey Artist of the Year 2022. There will be a choice of image and all materials will be provided including needle and threads. Instructions will be given for beginners and those wishing to improve. You can take your motif home in a box with extra thread to finish if necessary. Call to book: 01252 713208

Tue 24 October, 11-12.30: PAPER MAKING with Charlotte Karin Design
NOW FULLY BOOKED - WAITLIST.
Learn to make paper; the children will have a brief introduction into preparing scrap paper and making it into pulp before immersing themselves into the active part of making paper by hand. They will be layering different types of textured paper and create compositions by trapping materials between surfaces. Dried leaves from walks around Farnham to press into the paper to emboss of embellish will be provided. This workshop is derived from a conscious effort to stop paper waste and re-transform it in new ways. Call to book: 01252 713208

Tue 24 October, 2-4: NATURE TILES with Kerry Lemon
Air clay master class workshop. Join artist Kerry Lemon to celebrate the launch of her new public art tile trail through Farnham and create your own air dry clay tiles inspired by nature. Open for adults and young people aged 15+; under 18-year-olds must attend with a guardian. Online booking is required via the EventBrite website - min attendance fee is £1: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-tiles-with-kerry-lemon-a-workshop-for-adults-and-young-people-tickets-717708434247

Wed 25 October, 10.30-1.30: THE BIG DRAW with Gerri Besgrove
Drop in to join Farnham Art & Design Education Group's (FAGEG's) 16th community Big Draw. Artist Gerri Besgrove will lead you through an exploration of the senses, being in the moment to make a mindful response to mark making. Open to both adults and children. No booking is required.

Thur 26 October,10.30-1.30: THE BIG DRAW with Gerri Besgrove
Drop in to join Farnham Art & Design Education Group's (FAGEG's) 16th community Big Draw. Artist Gerri Besgrove will lead you through an exploration of the senses, being in the moment to make a mindful response to mark making. Open to both adults and children. No booking is required.

HOW TO TAKE PART:

All craft activities take place in the Balcony Gallery at New Ashgate as part of the Farnham Craft Month activities. The address is Waggon Yard, Farnham GU9 7PS.

No previous craft experience is required. Admission is free. A parent or a guardian must attend with the child / children under 18 years of age.

We work in partnership with FADEG and Draw Farnham for The Big Draw events.

New Ashgate workshops are supported by Waverley Borough Council, South Street Trust and Farnham Town Council.

Jane Browne: Surrey Artist of the Year 2022: One Year On

Jane Browne, Muddy Tractor Tracks, tapestry

  • Jane Browne

23 September to 4 November 2023

Jane Browne: Surrey Artist of the Year 2022: One Year On

Inspiration for Jane's tapestries comes from the inter-play between the natural contours of the landscape with shapes and patterns created by different crops in the changing seasons. The pieces are based on actual scenes and begin with several sketches on site.

Tapestry weaving is a slow process: time is taken to build the picture, starting at the bottom and working up to the top. This is both the joy and sometimes the frustration of the method as the pleasure and freedom of creating the picture, slowly building colours, shapes and textures can be tempered by the amount of time taken to achieve a relatively small amount. Jane uses a great variety of different yarns, mainly wool but also cotton, linen and rafia, blending thick and thin, course and fine together to gather the effect.

During her year as Surrey Artist of the Year, Jane has also explored new processes into her practice using different methods and incorporating new techniques to achieve challenging effects in the landscape tapestry. Jane says: "I am working on tapestries inspired by the Esso fuel pipeline which has cut swathes through the local countryside. This pipeline has provoked much negative reaction but from a purely artistic point of view it has provided opportunities to capture a moment in time before the pipeline returns to the field landscape as it was."

Jane studied at the West Surrey College of Art & Design (now University for the Creative Arts) specialising in tapestry weaving. She was taught by the late eminent tapestry weaver Archie Brennan.

Surrey Artist of the Year 2023

23 September to 4 November 2023

Surrey Artist of the Year 2023

Come & vote for your favourite Surrey artist and support the local talent with us.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, including different materials and techniques such as painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics and paper art.

The shortlisted artists are: Caroline Bond, Barbara Bradshaw, Sinéad Fox, Georgie Gardiner, Annabel Hocking, Christine Hopkins, Diana King, Joanna Lloyd, Julie Matthews, Faye Mayo, Peg Morris, Lucy Dorothy Nichols, Julie Patton, Sue Ransley, Sarah Rawlins, Sue Roche, Alison Saunders and Sonya Vine.

Again, during the exhibition, until 27th October, 12noon, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2023.

The winner receives a bursary of £1,000, a solo show at the New Ashgate Gallery and a complementary Winner's Stand at the Surrey Art Fair as well as a £100 Loxley voucher. The runner ups receive £25 Loxley vouchers.

The season includes free family workshops during the October half term.

The competition is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the Surrey Artists Open Studios. It is supported by the Surrey Art Fair and Loxley Arts.

With such an eclectic and talented mix of local artists, the Guildford, Farnham, Woking & Surrey Downs Magazines are the official media sponsor of Surrey Artist of the Year.

#SAOY2023

Wendy Penrose: New Ashgate Winner at Festival of Crafts

Wendy Penrose, Matrix coral pearl earring and coral ring

23 September to 4 November 2023

Wendy Penrose: New Ashgate Winner at Festival of Crafts

Wendy's unique designs are inspired by her love of nature. The result is a contemporary fusion of strong organic forms and rich texture, crafted in a combination of silver and gold. The sculptural designs range from strong, energetic forms to refined, lace work.

Each piece is made individually, by hand in her workshop set in the Oxfordshire countryside near Henley on Thames. For Wendy, jewellery holds sentimental value that endures beyond a lifetime. Wendy says: "I take great joy in designing pieces that allow you to express your love in a deeply personal way." Therefore, crafting unique and unconventional jewellery celebrates one's distinctive style.

Wendy was selected by Emily Cranny, the head of jewellery at New Ashgate, as the New Ashgate Gallery winner of the Festival of Crafts at Farnham Maltings, in October 2022.

Autumn Craft Collection 2023: Art and Craft with Local Heart

Janie Knitted Textiles

26 August to 28 October 2023

Autumn Craft Collection 2023: Art and Craft with Local Heart

The Autumn Craft Collection presents a curated range of unique, local and nationally renowned craft. Treat yourself to something new for your home or buy gifts for your loved ones. Pop in, browse and shop away from the crowds. You'll be supporting a local gallery and small creative artist businesses if you do, as well as finding something special.

We are delighted to present a new collection of:

Ceramics by: Elizabeth Degenszejn, Rowena Gilbert, Robert Goldsmith, Diane Griffin, Jaroslav Hrustalenko, Ania Perkowska and Joanna Terry.

Jewellery by: Emily Collins, Antonello Figlia and Jodie Hook

Textiles by: Louise Cottey, Janie Knitted Textiles and Sarah Tyssen

Glass by: Penny Carter, Emmy Palmer and Elizabeth Welch

Limited edition prints by: Alison Orchard, Susie Perring and Christina Taylor-Smith.

View work from the show

DAiSY Residency: Kate Kennington Steer

14 August to 16 September 2023

DAiSY Residency: Kate Kennington Steer

We are delighted to partner with DAiSY - Disability Arts in Surrey for a commissioned residency for a Surrey based artist with a disability.

Kate Kennington Steer welcomes the gallery visitors for informal conversations and activities in the Balcony Gallery about Farnham and the Brightwells development. Kate operates an Open Access Studio on Tuesdays from 11am-3pm. Please contact the gallery for the further details.

During the Heritage Open Weeks, Kate aims to be in the gallery from 11am-3pm on Friday 8th, Saturday 9th, Tuesday 12th, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th September. We recommend that you call us before visiting.

Kate is a writer, photographer and visual artist and a member of the Creative Response Arts community in Farnham. She will be combining paint, print, photography and poetry to focus on the Brightwell's Yard development in Farnham: how does an historic site change over time; how does changing the built environment affect not only the lives of the end users and local residents it was designed for, but also impact those who are using their different crafts and trades to make a place which incorporates the old with the new. Kate hopes to hear a wide variety of experiences, recollections, stories and views from the local community, and to integrate them into her work as a way of (re)imagining a 'bright-well' at the heart of Farnham.'

The residency is supported by Arts Council England.

Colour Strokes: Dan Baldwin, Bruce Mclean, Jacky Tsai, Lucy Farley and Barbara Rae

Jacky Tsai: Porcelain Skull

5 August to 16 September 2023

Colour Strokes: Dan Baldwin, Bruce Mclean, Jacky Tsai, Lucy Farley and Barbara Rae

This exhibition presents a curated collection of highly collectable prints by some of the biggest names in the art world such as Dan Baldwin, Bruce Mclean, Jacky Tsai, Lucy Farley and Barbara Rae. The focus is on interior transforming artworks with a strong presence through space transforming use of colour and form by the artists.

The exhibition is organised in partnership with the CCA Galleries.

Diane Griffin: Maker in Focus

Diane Griffin, Sacred Conversation

5 August to 16 September 2023

Diane Griffin: Maker in Focus

Diane Griffin's ceramic sculptures are inspired by human experience, and how we connect with each other and the world around us through rituals and ceremonies.

She first became interested in the use of rituals during a trip to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 1985: "I was fascinated to watch as people prayed and left messages as a way to feel a sense of connection to each other, their spiritual selves and a higher power. Religions and cultures across the world have used the elements of the natural world in ceremonies and rituals for millennia and it is this connection that continues to inspire my work all these years later."

Diane's poetic sculptures are rich in contrasting textures. Rough and cracked surfaces are united with delicate sheets of ruffled porcelain. Precious metallic elements further accentuate the organic textures. They combine something precious in amongst earthy textures which perhaps comes from digging for 'treasure' in her back garden as a child and unearthing many victorian bottles, jars and pipes.

Diane uses a variety of techniques and clays in combination. Throwing, hand building and carving are used to achieved different textures, surfaces and forms. She uses layers of slips and glazes that are fired many times to achieve the required result. She works in porcelain and earthenware clays with a variety of processes, each with it's own rhythm and nuance which she unites into the final piece.

Diane's sculptures offer a focal point for connecting with memories, personal stories and emotions, establishing private moments of contemplation.

View work from the show

John Bryce: Honouring the exceptional artist - the final exhibition from John's Own Collection

John Bryce, Lower Church Lane

5 August 2023 to 5 January 2024

John Bryce: Honouring the exceptional artist - the final exhibition from John's Own Collection

Farnham lost one of its artist legends in 2022. Since then, John's family has discovered more than fifty paintings and prints, representing Farnham and the local area. We are delighted to present these artworks from John's own collection for his final exhibition at the New Ashgate Gallery. Exceptionally, they are available to purchase during the exhibition.

Born in London in 1934, John Bryce graduated in mechanical engineering at King's College London. He worked as a research scientist at the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Farnborough, working on projects such as Concorde. He, however, maintained a keen interest in painting and wood engraving and became an exhibiting member of both the Farnham and Guildford Art Societies in the early 1970s. After he retired, John pursued an active artistic career as a painter and printmaker. John painted in watercolour, oils and mixed media, creating original print images through the challenging medium of wood engraving, often using his paintings as an inspiration for the engraved image.

In John's work, wood engraving is a powerful medium for depicting the effects of light because it expresses the dramatic contrast between intense black and pure white. John was influenced by the effects of light as it occurs in the sky, on buildings and on water. Furthermore, his mark making on the block expressed the drama and mood of an experienced event.

John said: In my wood engraving work I first make careful sketches, then I try to portray the event by cutting bold and varied marks with a variety of different shaped tools so as to create an exciting and dramatic image.

John was elected a member of the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) in 1990 and a senior fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in 2010. Furthermore, he exhibited with the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Society of Marine Artists. His background in aviation stimulated a keen interest in painting aircraft with the Guild of Aviation Artists (GAvA).

View work from the show

Sally Anne Fitter: The Joy of Nature

Sally Anne Fitter, Wolferton Woods, 60x60cm

5 August to 16 September 2023

Sally Anne Fitter: The Joy of Nature

Sally Anne Fitter is celebrated for her mixed media still lifes that are much loved by our collectors and visitors. In this exhibition, we are delighted to present some of the still lifes with Sally Anne's new, exceptional woodland paintings.

Sally Anne has an imaginative eye for colour with a warm, rich palette. Her vigorous handling, developing surface textures, with numerous painting techniques, lead to a strong sense of design and composition that invites the viewer to look again at the ordinary and familiar.

Sally Anne studied ceramics at Bristol Art School gaining a First Class Honours Degree. She went on to teach art and ceramics at Latymer Boys School, London. After a textile design course at Chelsea School of Art, Sally set up and ran 'Digby Morton', a textile design studio in London. Her designs have been selling worldwide to clients such as Ralph Lauren in New York, Liberty of London, Laura Ashley, Cerrutti, Calvin Klein and Monsoon.

She now spends her time living and painting in Norfolk. Her work uses colour in a vibrant manner with sgraffito and collage being an integral part of her compositions.

View work from the show

Celebrating the Legacy of Textiles in Farnham

Fraser Lyden, UCA

27 June to 29 July 2023

Celebrating the Legacy of Textiles in Farnham

This exhibition honours the exceptional talent that has studied on the textile courses at The University for the Creative Arts, Farnham over many years. From autumn 2023, the course will be taught at the UCA campus in Epsom.

The exhibition presents textiles by Rezia Wahid, Cara Tomi, Charlotte Karin, Jennifa Chowdhury, Louise Cottey, Sadie Foster, Wendy Irving, Kas Williams, Kathryn Green, Sharon Kearley, alongside selected UCA Textiles Students, Emilia Biddscombe, Fraser Lyden, Chris Marsh, Megan Owen, Amy Stevens and Cody Wren.

Private View and Meet the Artists on Saturday 1 July, 3-5pm - all welcome.

The exhibition is a partnership between New Ashgate Gallery and The University for the Creative Arts.

17 June to 29 July 2023

A celebration of 30 years of Bishopsland Educational Trust

Bishopsland Educational Trust is an internationally recognised and accredited charity dedicated to the training and education of young people in the craft of silversmithing and fine jewellery. Their two-year immersive residential programmes is celebrating its 30th anniversary providing a much-needed bridge between full time education and a career as a designer-maker. The Trust has awarded over £300k in bursaries to talented metalworkers regardless of background, means or academic ability.

They have nurtured the careers of over 200 silversmiths and jewellers over the last 30 years, the vast majority of whom have gone on to develop sustainable businesses. Today the Bishopsland society of Fellows are some of the foremost craftspeople in their field, continuing to pass their skills onto others and contributing to the vibrancy of the British craft sector.

This exhibition celebrates both new and established makers from the Bishopsland, showcasing exceptional and highly collectable jewellery and silversmithing work. The makers from Bishopsland alumni are Sarah Shelton-Palmer, Charlotte Duckworth, Ndidi Ekubia, Sheila McDonald, Alice Fry, Iona Hall, Jessica Jue, Miriam Hanid, Bryony Knox, Isabella Kelley, Caius Bearder, Katie Watson, Angela Cork and Patrick Davison. The makers from the current programme are Jonathan Stokes (Artist in Residence), Morvarid Alavifard, Sarah Pitcher, Hanneke Merckx, Alewijn Slingerland, Caitlin Murphy, Blake Roberts, Revan Abdulsabour, Ayat Dhahi, Anna-Karina Henderson.

View work from the show

Mychael Barratt: Reasons to be Cheerful

Mychael Barratt, Damien Hirst's Dog, woodcut, 50 x 50 cm

17 June to 29 July 2023

Mychael Barratt: Reasons to be Cheerful

Mychael Barratt's works are rich in detail and humour and depict visual narratives, often confidently pilfering famous characters from art history.

His popular range of works featuring famous artists thought history and their pets, cleverly re-created in the original artist's style, allows the work to register with viewers and adds a humorous sense of déjá vu.

Maps have also become increasingly prevalent in Mychael's work showing events from famous historical dates and themes showing his love of London and art history.

Mychael is a printmaker and painter born in Toronto, Canada and has been living and working in the UK since 1984. Mychael studied at Central St. Martin's School of Art in London and since graduating he became a Fellow and then President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.

On display with Mychael's artworks, we also have ceramic and felt animals by Joanne Osborne and Naomi Beevers, two makers known for their fantastic portray of animals with a great personality.

View work from the show

Susie Lidstone: Lost Alleys of Farnham

Susie Lidstone, From Lowndes buildings to Castle Street

17 June to 29 July 2023

Susie Lidstone: Lost Alleys of Farnham

Susie Lidstone has been painting for some 30 years and works from her small studio in Farnham. Susie trained in Fine Art Printmaking at West Surrey College of Art and Design and has gone on to accept commissions from all over the world.

Susie is one of only a few women worldwide to be a full member of The Society of Architectural Illustration. Fascinated by the architecture of Farnham and all its alleyways, Susie enjoys capturing the hidden parts of Farnham and the shops that have gone but form so much of the history of the market town.

For this exhibition, Susie has painted more of the hidden alleyways and homes in Farnham, presenting hidden gems of beautiful architecture with a strong sense of place.

View work from the show

Free Family Crafts: New Ashgate Summer Workshops in Gostrey Meadow

Giant Weave with Elizabeth Murton

6 May to 20 August 2023

Free Family Crafts: New Ashgate Summer Workshops in Gostrey Meadow

We believe in providing high quality craft access and skills to all. In partnership with the Farnham Town Council, we are delighted to present an exciting drop-in craft programme this summer, including the following events:

Coronation Cross Stitch with Jane Browne at the Coronation celebration, 6 May, 12-5

Participants will creating a cross stitch coronation themed motif. For instance, a crown or Union Jack. All materials will be provided and finished pieces can be taken home in a box.

Jane Browne was selected as the Surrey Artist of the Year in October 2022 by the New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the Surrey Artists Open Studios and Contemporary Art Fairs. Jane is a Farnham based textile artist who uses a great variety of different yarns, mainly wool but also cotton, linen and rafia, blending thick and thin, course and fine together to gather the effect. Jane studied at the West Surrey College of Art & Design (now University for the Creative Arts) specialising in tapestry weaving. She was taught by the late eminent tapestry weaver Archie Brennan and Jane is now an art educator herself.

Textile Card Winding Mandals with Charlotte Karin at Music in the Meadow, 28 May, 3-5

We will be creating colourful yarn wrapped mandalas from left-over yarn and materials that would otherwise end up in landfill and find inspiration in Gostrey Meadow; the materiality and colour from plants and Farnham in Bloom. A variety of supplied and found materials will be used to wrap, in geometric ways, round a circular disk to achieve a mandala, a dream catcher or a star like creation to hang against the light to produce ever-changing shadows and shapes or to be used as a decorative piece of artwork.

Charlotte Karin is a designer specialising in woven constructed textiles. She lives locally and has a degree from the UCA Farnham. Charlotte's work explores a sense of harmony between contemporary aesthetics and the natural world creating timeless, sustainable, transitioning textile art.

Textile Collage with Natural Dye and Eco Fabrics with Charlotte Karin at Sustainability Festival, 11 June, 12-5

We explore vibrant colours through nature, making collages with different materials and creating small vibrant fabric compositions to take home. We will learn about natural colour, recognising the plants and fruit can be used to extract colour form - some of these plants can be found around Farnham during Farnham in Bloom.

Charlotte will prepare dye baths in advance and will provide a range of fabrics for the children to play with. The children are welcome to bring old fabrics, including T-shirts, tote bags or tea towels. Each child can choose which technique to explore from tie dye/shibori, dip dye and eco print methods. Some of these might take some time to dry however they can be admired almost instantly and will dry quickly in the sun.

The World of Weaving with Elizabeth Murton at Proms and Pop in the Park, 25 June, 12-5

This workshop is an introduction to weaving on a basic cardboard tapestry loom. We will learn about the history of weaving and fibre: how we have woven since the stone age, and what yarns would have been traditionally used (instead of cotton) which are more eco-friendly. Each participant will be shown how to weave (under/over) and they can continue at home. The finished piece could be a small wall hanging.

For the finale of the day - all will be invited to take part in being part of a 'Giant Weave' performance where they can try the actions of the loom. The fabric will become the warp and weft. The performance is subject to a non-rainy weather and min. 6 participants.

Elizabeth Murton's art practice explores the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of our complicated and awe-inspiring world - whether through religion, philosophy, or science. The work reveals the dynamic nature of life's entanglements through abstract drawings and sculptures. She is currently a fellow at Digswell Arts but grew up in Farnham. Elizabeth has always interested in weaving as part of the Farnham Craft Town historically and current activity. In the 16th and 17th Century, Farnham the wool cloth industry was important for the town. The Roman Villa found in Farnham would have had weaving, too. New Ashgate and Craft Study Centre are known for their world class textile exhibitions. There is a spinning wheel in the Museum of Farnham (used to spin yarn like wool and flax) that we will refer to.

Musical Note Cross Stitch with Jane Browne at Music in the Meadow, 20 August, 3-5

Participants will be creating a small cross stitch motif, for instance, a musical note. Colourful yarns will be supplied along with all other materials. Motifs can be taken home in a box.

HOW TO TAKE PART:

All craft activities take place in Gostrey Meadow as part of the Farnham Town Council's events and festivals. The address is Weyside, Farnham GU9 7RH.

Neither booking nor previous craft experience is required. Admission is free. A parent or a guardian will be asked to attend with the child / children.


New Ashgate workshops are supported by South Street Trust and Farnham Town Council.

Emma Dunbar: Ready to blossom in the morning

Emma Dunbar, "Tracey's dahlias & purple daisies", 61 x 61 cm

29 April to 9 June 2023

Emma Dunbar: Ready to blossom in the morning

We are delighted to welcome back Emma Dunbar for her much-anticipated solo exhibition that explores the joyful richness of the everyday. Emma's attraction to colour and the decorative qualities in everyday objects provide the foundation for the exhibition.

Emma is a master of finding the essence of a place, a feeling, a thing. She gathers ingredients from her home, travels, the landscape, combining pattern and familiarity to create colourful and recognisable paintings. Emma's training as a printmaker is evident both in the use of blocks of flat colour and in the way she scratches through surfaces to reveal pre-laid colours underneath.

Emma paints in Hampshire and Cornwall.

Ken Eardley: The Maker in Focus

Ken Eardley, ceramics flower vases

29 April to 10 June 2023

Ken Eardley: The Maker in Focus

Ken Eardley's ceramics are striking, highly popular and come with a wonderful sense of humour.

Ken produces a range of distinctive, hand built functional ceramics. He has created a collection of ceramics with distinctively retro patterns, with designs reminiscent of Scandinavian folk art.

This highly popular and collectable ceramicist started with a background in textiles, he then moved on to create a distinctly fun and graphic range of functional ceramics for kitchens and interiors including mugs, jugs, vases, plates and bowls together with a new range of lamps. All his pieces are hand-made glazed earthenware and are made using press-moulds with hand-cut stencil decoration which are then fired three times.

View work from the show

Patrick Walls: Figurative and Abstract

Patrick Walls, Wing I

29 April to 10 June 2023

Patrick Walls: Figurative and Abstract

We are delighted to welcome Patrick Walls who is one of the leading sculptors creating artworks for the Brightwells Yard in Farnham.

Patrick specialises in carved stone and cast metals. He works on large scale sculpture for the public domain and makes smaller, individual sculptures to exhibit.

Patrick's work can be either figurative or abstract but often explores two dominant themes; "air/water" and "volume/time". Air / Water explores wave forms and repeated patterns, both in terms of form and surface. These sculptures can be small intimate pieces or monumental landmark sculptures. Employing fluid sweeping curves the sculptures seek to evoke a sense of movement belying the solidity and weight of the material.

Volume / Time as a body of work explores the use of stone as a material. These sculptures are dictated by the natural properties of the stone; working with the volume of the material and emphasising its natural properties, formed through many thousands of years. The surface is meticulously finished by hand to exaggerate the form.

The sculptures for Brightwells Yard in Farnham are a series of ten large-scale sandstone figures standing in the newly landscaped gardens. Each figure represents a different craft associated with the local area. They are arranged in three small groups, each group in conversation or looking out across the open space towards the other sculptures.

Patrick teaches stone carving at workshops, both at his studio and around the country. To celebrate the sculptures at Brightwells Yard there will be a program of workshops in the summer supported by the Waverley Borough Council.

View work from the show

Summer Craft Collection 2023: Art and Craft with Local Heart

Bekky May, Plant Pod Cluster. Porcelain ceramic cluster on disc painted with Farrow & Ball

22 April to 19 August 2023

Summer Craft Collection 2023: Art and Craft with Local Heart

The Summer Craft Collection presents a curated range of unique, local and nationally renowned craft. Treat yourself to something new for your home or buy gifts for your loved ones. Pop in, browse and shop away from the crowds. You'll be supporting a local gallery and small creative artist businesses if you do, as well as finding something special.

We are delighted to present a new collection of:

Ceramics by: Jack Allum, Richard Baxter, Linda Bloomfield, Jaeeun Kim Ceramics, Peter Hayes, Bekky May, Joanna Osbourne, Laura Plant, Gilly Whittington and Zeba Contemporary Ceramics.

Jewellery by: Karolina Baines, Jessica Briggs and Emma Leonard.

Glass by: Liz Huppert and Elizabeth Welch.

Paper composite by Gow Tanaka.

Textiles by: Mhairi Allan and Fiona McIntosh.

Woodwork by: Kevin Stamper and many more...

View work from the show

Esther Pritchard: Quietude

Esther Pritchard

11 March to 22 April 2023

Esther Pritchard: Quietude

When Esther was a young girl, her great Uncle Bob's table was covered in sketches and studies, brushes and palettes, covered in enticing blobs of oil paint. Years later, Bob's brushes and paintbox are favoured tools in her studio in Farnham. As a curious creator, Esther finds enjoyment in experimenting with texture and mark making, as she forms seascapes and wild meadows. Esther embraces the challenge of capturing dramatic, expansive skies with golden light through to more peace inducing seascapes, depicting coastal pilgrims.

is inspired by the places that Esther finds solitude and peace. From sunrise walks, to more bracing strolls along West Wittering beach, Esther takes many photos, tracing the suns movement and in turn, the dancing light on both foliage and water. Esther has captured the tonic of retreating to reset, a vital part of maintaining contentment and gratitude.

Part of Esther's joy of painting is the process of waiting, sometimes for hours with her camera in hand, to capture the movement of clouds and water, as the sun sets over the sea. Inevitably there is a BBQ involved and always a flask of tea.

Rising Stars 2023

  • COVER IMAGE For Social Media And Sharing

11 March to 22 April 2023

Rising Stars 2023

Rising Stars is a curated, national platform to foster and champion new talent, early career makers, students and graduates from BA and MA crafts, design and applied arts programmes across the UK. Rising Stars offers new makers a first step into the market place, through a curated, selling exhibition. It is also an exciting collector opportunity for those wishing to support and collect work by future stars.

The programme consists of the Rising Stars exhibition that enables new makers to access the market place and collectors; professional development, and a catalogue to act as a promotional tool for the selected makers. The 2023 project will also be supporting new makers, impacted by the current cost of living crisis.

Following a popular open call with 113 applications, we are delighted to announce that the makers selected for the Rising Stars 2023 are:

Jiro Ametani, Shannon Ellis Baker, Jarrad Belton, Faye Bentley, Viki Benwell, Luciana Bohm, Harry Chadwick, Guy Conners, Lisa Ghiggini, Amy Findlay, Lulu Harrison, Ismail Kamran, Nancy Main, Celia MacPherson, Natalie McCormack, Shakhina Mirjonova, Helen Munday, Chris Murphy, Parneet Pahwa, Rachel Peters, Helena Roberts, Samantha Sloane, Gow Tanaka and Omer Oner.

We recognise there is a lack of representation from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ makers and makers who identify as having a visible or non-visible disability in the southeast region. We particularly welcome applications from the makers, underrepresented in the region.

The judges in 2023 are Dan Goode (Making Goode), Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery), Sharon Ting (University for the Creative Arts, Textiles) and Debra Allman (University for the Creative Arts, Jewellery and Ceramics).

Every year one of the makers is presented the Rising Stars Award. This year, Harry Chadwick was presented with a professional development award of £1,000 and a solo exhibition at New Ashgate in 2024.

Rising Stars 2023 is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts and Dan Goode of Making Goode. It is supported by Billmeir Charitable Trust.

#NAGRisingStars2023

Zeba Contemporary Ceramics: The Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2022: One Year On

Zeba Imam, Textured Asemic Jar

11 March to 22 April 2023

Zeba Contemporary Ceramics: The Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2022: One Year On

Zeba Imam's work is inspired by the marks of human activity all around us. Bustling cityscapes, timeworn aspects of an industrial building, casual graffiti... They convey the universal human wish to be seen and to communicate: I am/was here.

Over the last year Zeba has been focussing both on refining her existing work and exploring the metaphor of palimpsest further. Palimpsest refers to the layered quality of all human experience. Zeba is guided by clay's nature and lets the mark making be less controlled. Zeba attempts to capture the accidental nature of layers on forgotten surfaces and the stories they inadvertently tell.

Zeba says: "I work from my studio at Spode Works, which was once the centre of industrial pottery in England, a sprawling, heritage building bearing the marks of the past - a significant source of inspiration itself for my work."

Zeba Imam is the winner of the Rising Stars 2022 Maker's Award.

View work from the show

Graham Dean: Still Waiting

Graham Dean, Heatwave, 2022, 38 x 29cm, watercolour on rag paper

14 January to 4 March 2023

Graham Dean: Still Waiting

Graham Dean is a painter of identity. But more than the identity of the body, it is the identity of the soul as evoked by these sumptuous watercolours. Like Egon Schiele, who was researching in mental hospitals to study his subjects, Graham loves these characters who use their bodies often in extreme situations. His images are recomposed in a creative alchemy, mixing people, body parts and time itself. Although the works are representational, they escape the illustrational to reach a universal form from something deeply personal.

For Graham, the body is a 'holding-pen of emotions', a 'thinking body' similar to the research done by Wilhelm Reich. His characters are the receptacles of these emotions, ideas, and memories. They are witnesses of the human condition and our complex relationship with the world. The body becomes a canvas, torn and stretched, a vehicle for the imagination of the artist. The works are open to interpretation, free, as are the movements of watercolour, colours and sensual shapes.

Using a technique he calls reverse archaeology, Graham re-invents the traditional uses of watercolour resulting in a unique technique. Contrasting layers of paint are applied separately on thick, handmade paper from Southern India. Each sheet has undergone a process of tearing and overlapping to create a final composition, this corresponds to the multiple layers of the epidermis which protects the human body. The process is organic and cyclical, the paintings appear fragmented and destroyed using sections (front and back) that lead to a renaissance in the form of a new composition.

The choice of colours and contrasts is important: intoxicated by the colour and the pleasure he takes in his touch, Graham likes the thickness of the paper and the sensual, exotic properties of transparency and opacity.

Kirsty Macrae: Maker in Focus

14 January to 15 April 2023

Kirsty Macrae: Maker in Focus

Kirsty's ceramics are an exploration of gesture, form, colour and place. There is a rich tradition in ceramics of painting onto the clay to document the world and to tell stories. Her work is a contemporary continuation of this: specific places and memories are all referenced in Kirsty's work.

Kirsty's ceramics are shaped by her background as a painter. She creates work that playfully imagines clay as the canvas, both in form and surface. She employs traditional pottery decorative techniques alongside mark-making usually associated with abstract expressionist painting to create lush, layered surfaces.

Kirsty graduated from the Fine Art: Painting and Printmaking course at The Glasgow School of Art in 2009. She now lives and works in Northumberland.

Pete Jackman: Strand-Lines

Pete Jackman, Dungeness Red Container

14 January to 4 March 2023

Pete Jackman: Strand-Lines

Pete Jackman's works are inspired by the shoreline, an environment which is constantly in a state of transition between land and sea - air and water. A harsh environment where items can arrive intentionally or accidentally, and are reworked, relocated, and degraded by the extreme conditions.

This work is Pete's interpretation to objects and forms within this landscape: buildings, containers, driftwood, redundant fishing equipment and strandline litter.

Through stages of painting and reworking, the representation changes to be more abstract as the work evolves, becoming its own reference, where the original subject may just be present in a particular shape, texture or colour.

The works are created with layers of paint, sometimes mixed with natural materials from the location. These layers are often cut back to expose earlier marks, with further overpainting and glazing to create a more complex surface.

The inspiration for this exhibition has come from visits to North Norfolk, Dungeness in Kent and the Inner Hebrides.

Virginia Ray: Our Rich Industrial Heritage

Virginia Ray, Outcrop of Granite, oils and mixed media, including stone dust

14 January to 4 March 2023

Virginia Ray: Our Rich Industrial Heritage

Virginia's landscapes are inspired by the rich industrial heritage of West Cornwall and North Wales. This body of work, using mixed media, takes materials from these specific areas such as slate, tin, copper and stone dust. Each work engages with the landscape's natural elements and celebrates the rich materiality of the land. Virginia informs her work by walking the land, recording and photographing unique scenic aspects and retracing the footsteps of those who once populated these areas for quarrying and mining.

Away from the bustling beaches and seaside towns, she explores the remote beauty and drama of these marginal landscapes, uncovering what remains. Virginia is drawn to the ways in which human activity has shaped the land over the last few centuries, and continues to shape it today. In particular, her work explores how nature endures and, in all its diversity, has all but reclaimed evidence of a once busy industrial past in these beautiful areas.

Virginia has a BA Hons in History and has an MA in Fine Art, Farnham UCA. Virginia has exhibited in Galleries in London, including the Affordable Art Fair, Ibiza, Surrey, Norfolk, Cornwall and Yorkshire.

12 November 2022 to 7 January 2023

John Bryce: Honouring the exceptional wood engraver and painter

1934 - 2022

Born in London in 1934, John Bryce graduated in mechanical engineering at King's College London. He worked as a research scientist at the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Farnborough, working on projects such as Concorde. He, however, maintained a keen interest in painting and wood engraving and became an exhibiting member of both the Farnham and Guildford Art Societies in the early 1970s. After he retired, John pursued an active artistic career as a painter and printmaker.

John painted in watercolour, oils and mixed media, creating original print images through the challenging medium of wood engraving, often using his paintings as an inspiration for the engraved image.

In John's work, wood engraving is a powerful medium for depicting the effects of light because it expresses the dramatic contrast between intense black and pure white. John was influenced by the effects of light as it occurs in the sky, on buildings and on water. Furthermore, his mark making on the block expressed the drama and mood of an experienced event.

John said: In my wood engraving work I first make careful sketches, then I try to portray the event by cutting bold and varied marks with a variety of different shaped tools so as to create an exciting and dramatic image.

John was elected a member of the Society of Wood Engravers (SWE) in 1990 and a senior fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in 2010. Furthermore, he exhibited with the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours and the Royal Society of Marine Artists. His background in aviation stimulated a keen interest in painting aircraft with the Guild of Aviation Artists (GAvA).

View work from the show

Mitch Pilkington: Maker in Focus

Mitch Pilkington (photographer John Russell)

12 November 2022 to 7 January 2023

Mitch Pilkington: Maker in Focus

We are thrilled to welcome back our 2019 Rising Stars winner, Mitch Pilkington, as our Winter Maker in Focus. Having recently completed her Master's degree in Fine Art (Ceramics) at Bath Spa University, Mitch has continued to experiment with surface texture and its relationship with nurture and care. Describing her MA journey as cathartic and freeing, her new work is emotional and raw. New forms make their presence felt and are a metaphor for those who are lost but still held dear.

Mitch uses highly grogged stoneware and porcelain clays, often coloured with body stains and surface treatments of slips and oxides, to fully enhance the natural sculptural qualities of the clay. Her ceramics are instinctively hand formed in an emotionally intuitive and mindful process using methods such as coiling and pinching. Each piece is a vessel for an emotional journey.

Winter Exhibition 2022: Art and Craft with Local Heart

Jane Adam, Ochre Florid Brooch

Gillian Goldfarb, Large Black Stone Vessel (middle); Fiona Millais, Looking For Chanterelles (below)

  • Goldfarb Large Black Stone Vessel Copy
  • Fiona Millais, Looking For Chanterelles, acrylic on panel

12 November 2022 to 7 January 2023

Winter Exhibition 2022: Art and Craft with Local Heart

At Christmas thoughts turn to home so our Winter Exhibition presents a range of unique, local art and craft that you won't find anywhere else. Treat yourself to something new for your home or buy gifts for your loved ones. Pop in, browse and shop away from the crowds. You'll be supporting a local gallery and small creative artist businesses if you do, as well as finding something special this Christmas.

Ceramics by:
Jennifer Amon, Debbie Barber, Peter Beard, Rowena Brown, Lucy Burley, Amy Cooper, Jill Fanshawe-Kato, Emma Godden, Gillian Goldfarb, Sarah Grove, Diane Griffin, Penny Little, Hilke MacIntyre, Clare Palmer, Liz Scrine, Jane Silk, Katalin Szallas, Jo Walker, Jean White

Painting by:
Barbara Beaumont, Tim Burns, Henrietta Corbett, Matthew Draper, Amanda Ellis, Sally Anne Fitter, Lindsey Hambleton, Amanda Hoskin, Helen Long, Yeside Linney, Catherine McVean, Fiona Millais, Vicki Nigoumi, Janine Partington, Fiona Pearce, Laura Richie, Catherine Warren, Ann Marie Whaley, Tamara Williams

Sculpture by:
Celia Allen, Sarah Cox, Henrietta Corbett, Gin Durham, Richard Jack, Bruce Marks, David Mayne, Liane Matthews, Jane Muir, Pippa Ward, Gwen Vaughan, Ed Willis

Jewellery by:
Jane Adam, Kate Bajic, Ruta Brown, Shimara Carlow, Emily Collins, Yen Duong, Caroline Finlay, Iona Hall, Jodie Hook, Stephanie Johnson, Jessica Jue, Daphne Krinos, Lindsay Mann, Emma Mogridge, Lisa Mortimer, Janine Partington, Guy Royle, Misun Won

Print by:
Ed Boxall, Jennifer Jokhoo, Jane Peart, Trevor Price, Christina Taylor Smith, Eliza Southwood, Shirley Watson

Glass by:
Michèle Oberdieck, Peter Layton, Jessica Stroud, Elizabeth Welch, Clare L. Wilson

Textiles and Leather by:
Kate Box, Candy Coated Accessories, Lesley Frankland, Charlotte Karin, Linda Miller, Sally Nencini, Janine Partington, Sarah Tyssen

Wood and Basketry by:
Mary Crabb, Julie Gurr, Hannah Lane, Kevin Stamper

Handmade Festive Decorations by:
Adam Aaronson, Naomi Beevers, Rowena Brown, Fir Tree Pottery, E+M Glass, Emma Godden, Fleur Grenier, Sarah Grove, Seabreeze Ceramics, Jessica Jordan, Katie Iacovou, David Mayne, Imogen Melissa, Adrienne Roberts, Sue Trevor


Crafts do not only create jobs, they create livelihoods - 'Buy Less Buy Better' this festive season.

View work from the show

HALF-TERM FAMILY CRAFTS: Fun Fused Glass Workshop for Children with Jessica Stroud, The Surrey Artist of the Year

25 October 2022

HALF-TERM FAMILY CRAFTS: Fun Fused Glass Workshop for Children with Jessica Stroud, The Surrey Artist of the Year

New Ashgate Gallery, 25 October, 10-11.30
Suitable for children, aged 8 - 13
Max. 8 participants - free admission
Booking required:
EventBrite

Get creative and have fun making a rainbow fused glass light catcher or a fused glass picture tile. The participants will need to collect their artwork from the gallery after fusing.

All materials will be supplied and no previous knowledge of crafts is required.

Jessica Stroud is a local stained-glass artist and has a passion for the transmitted light and colours of mouth blown glass and uses it when creating her own work. The natural world, especially her garden and the wildlife that visits, and our rich heritage of stained-glass windows, are an enduring inspiration. Jessica uses traditional techniques to make her panels, the origins of which go back as early as the 7th Century. Jessica is a member of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and The Surrey Artist of the Year.

The workshop is supported by the Farnham South Street Trust and it is part of our Craft Month celebrations.

HALF-TERM FAMILY CRAFTS: Fabric Applique Workshop for Children with artist Linda Miller

  • FARNHAM TC MAIN LOGO CMYK LARGE

24 October 2022

HALF-TERM FAMILY CRAFTS: Fabric Applique Workshop for Children with artist Linda Miller

New Ashgate Gallery, 24 October, 10-11.30
Suitable for children aged 7-14
Free admission, max. 10 participants
Booking required:
EventBrite

Using a selection of colorful fabrics transform your own drawing into a stunning picture of fabric and stitch. Learn a few fancy hand stitches to embellish and finish off your unique picture ready to be hung on your bedroom wall or to be sewn on your favorite item of clothing. Why not add a splash of bling with some buttons, beads, and sequins!

For the past 28 years Linda Miller has been making one-off, framed and unframed machine embroideries using an industrial Bernina 950 sewing machine and her work is exhibited throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. She has pieces held in the Southern Arts collection and within the permanent textile and dress collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The craft activity is supported by the Farnham Town Council.

Machine Embroidery Workshop for adults with artist Linda Miller at New Ashgate Gallery

  • FARNHAM TC MAIN LOGO CMYK LARGE

24 October 2022

Machine Embroidery Workshop for adults with artist Linda Miller at New Ashgate Gallery

Suitable for the beginners & more experienced stitchers
New Ashgate Gallery, 24 October, 12.30-3.30

Booking required - admission by donation: EventBrite
Max. 10 participants


Working with a sumptuous array of threads discover how to use your sewing machine as a drawing and painting tool and experience the delight of sewing to create a picture taken from your own original idea. Bring with you a photograph, picture or drawing which inspires you and translate it into a picture of stitches.

For the past 28 years Linda Miller has been making one-off, framed and unframed machine embroideries using an industrial Bernina 950 sewing machine and her work is exhibited throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. She has pieces held in the Southern Arts collection and within the permanent textile and dress collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The craft activity is supported by the Farnham Town Council.

Introduction to Glass Fusing with Jessica Stroud: Workshop for adults with The Surrey Artist of the Year

10 October 2022

Introduction to Glass Fusing with Jessica Stroud: Workshop for adults with The Surrey Artist of the Year

New Ashgate Gallery, 10 October, 10-1.30
Suitable for everyone aged 16 or over
Admission by donation: booking required:
EventBrite
Max. 8 participants

The workshops participants will learn how to cut glass and a basic introduction to glass fusing.

We will make a 15cm x 15cm fused glass picture tile which can be framed or displayed on an oak stand. All materials supplied and no experience necessary. Tiles will need to be collected from the Gallery after fusing.

Jessica Stroud is a local stained-glass artist and has a passion for the transmitted light and colours of mouth blown glass and uses it when creating her own work. The natural world, especially her garden and the wildlife that visits, and our rich heritage of stained-glass windows, are an enduring inspiration. Jessica uses traditional techniques to make her panels, the origins of which go back as early as the 7th Century. Jessica is a member of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and The Surrey Artist of the Year.

The workshop is supported by the Farnham South Street Trust and it is part of our Craft Month celebrations.

Jessica Stroud: Two Hedges | The Surrey Artist of the Year 2021

Jessica Stroud, Robin in the Apple Tree, 38cm x 38cm in light box

24 September to 5 November 2022

Jessica Stroud: Two Hedges | The Surrey Artist of the Year 2021

For more than 20 years, Jessica Stroud has been working with stained glass. She designs and makes original and unique pieces, from small decorative items and commemorative panels and hangings to window and door panels.

Ever since Jessica can remember, she has been fascinated by and attracted to glass and the medium is one where her passion for art, light and colour come together. She is inspired by woodcuts, linocuts, painting and nature and is lucky enough to live next to a river where she spots passing wildlife. Jessica's garden is bordered by two hedges, which are alive with wildlife.

This exhibition combines Jessica's love of nature and her skill of traditional Arts and Crafts stained glass. Jessica was delighted to win Surrey Artist of the Year 2021, which has given her the opportunity to put together this showcase of new work.

Linda Miller: Telling Tales

Linda Miller, The Gardener's Friend

24 September to 5 November 2022

Linda Miller: Telling Tales

Linda spent her childhood drawing, making things, and learning how to use a hand cranked sewing machine; the rhythm of its stitching mesmerised her. Growing up in historical Hastings she became intrigued by the Bayeux Tapestry and the story it had to tell in stitch. Since graduating from Winchester School of Art over thirty years ago she has combined both her love of drawing and machine stitching to make machine embroideries often set in the outdoors and always with a story to tell, though the subject and the narrative thread is left to the viewer's imagination.

Linda gathers inspiration from the world around her. Through her unique style, she creates colourful, naïve narratives that explore the relationship between people and animals.

The New Ashgate team selected Linda as the Ashgate Winner, the Festival of Crafts 2021 at the Farnham Maltings. Our team loves Linda's skill of making and the playful work that she creates. This solo exhibition is the Prize for the award.

View work from the show

24 September to 5 November 2022

Surrey Artist of the Year 2022

Come & vote for your favourite Surrey artist and support the local talent with us.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, including different materials and techniques such as painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics and paper art.

The shortlisted artists are: Cathy Brett, Jane Browne, Eli Delbaere, Grace Ellen, Emma Godden, Keira Graham, Luke Adam Hawker, Hue and Bristle, Denise Jaques, David Johns, Sophie Kathleen, Faye Mayo, Vicky O'Leary, Jo Olney, Esther Pritchard, Laura Ritchie, Louise Rowe, Lindsey Southworth, Dawn Thornhill and Angie Wallace.

Again, during the exhibition, until 14th October, 12noon, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2022. The winner receives a bursary of £1,000, a solo show at the New Ashgate Gallery and a complementary Winner's Stand at the Surrey Contemporary Art Fair.

The season includes workshops for adults, families and artists - please contact us for information.

The competition is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the Surrey Artists Open Studios. It is supported by the Contemporary Art Fairs.

Digital Catalogue


#SAOY2022

View work from the show

Fused Glass Light Catcher with Jessica Stroud, The Surrey Artist of the Year

Jessica Stroud, The Surrey Artist of the Year

7 August to 4 September 2022

Fused Glass Light Catcher with Jessica Stroud, The Surrey Artist of the Year

Family Drop-In Crafts
Sundays 7 August and 4 September, 3-5
Gostrey Meadow
Free, no booking is required

Join us for a fun and skill developing hands-on workshop with an introduction to the art of glass fusing. You will be making your own Rainbow Fused Light Catcher. All glass will be supplied, no previous experience necessary.

Jessica Stroud is a local stained-glass artist and has a passion for the transmitted light and colours of mouth blown glass and uses it when creating her own work. The natural world, especially her garden and the wildlife that visits, and our rich heritage of stained-glass windows, are an enduring inspiration. Jessica uses traditional techniques to make her panels, the origins of which go back as early as the 7th Century. Jessica is a member of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and The Surrey Artist of the Year.

The workshop is supported by Farnham South Street Trust.

Jane Muir: Maker in Focus

Jane Muir, Bird-head, coloured trees

30 July to 17 September 2022

Jane Muir: Maker in Focus

Jane Muir's ceramics are filled with an eccentric humour. They are made with a sensitive human touch that speaks to the viewer, who at once recognises something, or someone in each one. The gentle colours of her glazes allow the rough texture of the clay to shine through, lending a soft, chalky quality to her work. The sculptures themselves are whimsical and border on the absurd or surreal. Birds perch on heads, flowers bloom from shoulders. Other, smaller figures are collected together in boxes, smiling serenely. Her subject matter ranges from large scale figures and animals to tiny birds. Her work offers an uncomplicated and idiosyncratic view of the world.

The Little Ladies and Little Men series began life as a way for Jane to test colours out for larger pieces. But, like lots of experiments in the studio, they soon began to become pieces of work in their own right. Jane is experimental in her approach to colour mixing and this is reflected in the expressive feel of each piece which often includes numerous textured surfaces and glazes.

Jane Muir graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1992, and has been a full time ceramicist since then. Her work has been shown throughout Europe, the United States and Japan, as well as throughout the UK. She lives and works from her studio in Peckham, South London. Jane Muir is one of the long standing favourites by New Ashgate's visitors and clients.

View work from the show

Janine Partington: Enamels, Leather, Paintings

Janine Partington, The Way Through, vitreous enamel on copper

Hillside VIII, hand carved leather, acrylic paint

  • Janine Partington Hillside VIII 2022 Hand Carved Leather Acrylic Paint 30x30cm In Unglazed White Painted Wood Frame 350 Artist Photo

30 July to 17 September 2022

Janine Partington: Enamels, Leather, Paintings

We are delighted to welcome back Janine Partington for her major retrospective exhibition. In 2021, as Janine approached her 50th birthday, she decided to explore painting as a medium. Alongside her much-loved enamels and critically celebrated leather panels, this exhibition is the first time Janine will be showing some of her paintings.

Janine has been making things her whole life. Growing up Janine's artist father occupied the ground floor of their home with his painting studio, but her 'teenage rebellion' meant she never considered art as a career. However, after the birth of her second child in 2002, and then in her thirties, Janine began adult education evening classes in Bristol studying enamelling and selling her work. Janine became a full-time creative in 2006.

In 2015 Janine began an MA in Design at UWE, Bristol. Her degree show consisted of a series of carved and painted leather panels. Janine now creates leather panels alongside her enamelling practice. The work that she creates in leather is more personal. This has included responses to her father's Alzheimer's and death that was exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the Crafts Council's 'Collect Open' programme in 2019, and more recently a response to her mother's life, ill health and death.

Janine does also create one off smaller pieces in leather that often reflect her own personal emotional temperature through explorations of the natural world.

In 2021, as Janine approached her 50th birthday, she decided to explore painting as a medium. Janine had been reluctant to pick up a paintbrush as she saw her father as being what a painter could and should be, but there had always been a desire to layer and play with colours and forms and paint allows Janine to do this.

Whilst Janine is showing three seemingly distinct media, all take inspiration from nature, even in her more abstracted works. They also share a desire to create clean and defined lines, marks and shapes. Even in the more freestyle works in leather and paint there is an order and pattern to the work that hopefully brings balance.

View work from the show

Fun Fabrics: Magic with Beads, Buttons and Sequins with artist Linda Miller

Linda Miller Embroideries

  • FARNHAM TC MAIN LOGO CMYK LARGE

17 July 2022

Fun Fabrics: Magic with Beads, Buttons and Sequins with artist Linda Miller

Family Drop-In Crafts
Sunday 17 July, 3-5
Gostrey Meadow
Free, no booking is required


We all need to recycle and reuse more! Sewing is a fun skill and homemade items often last longer and save both money and environment. To celebrate our refound love for sewing, New Ashgate Gallery has teamed up with Linda Miller Embroideries. Using a selection of colorful fabrics, come and try a basic hand stitch to create your unique picture with buttons, beads, and sequins! This drop-in workshop is suitable for all children, attending with a guardian, and is a perfect starter for someone wishing to explore stitching that they can also continue at home.

For the past 28 years Linda Miller has been making one-off, framed and unframed machine embroideries using an industrial Bernina 950 sewing machine and her work is exhibited throughout the UK, Europe and the USA. She has pieces held in the Southern Arts collection and within the permanent textile and dress collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The craft activity is supported by the Farnham Town Council.

Eliza Southwood: The Art of Being Outside

Eliza Southwood: Finale, screen print, edition of 30 on Colourplan 270 gsm, 70 x 50 cm, 2021

18 June to 23 July 2022

Eliza Southwood: The Art of Being Outside

Eliza Southwood is an award-winning printmaker, painter and illustrator originally from London but currently based in Northern Spain. She has exhibited widely both in the UK and abroad. Eliza has been drawing and painting since she was old enough to pick up a paintbrush.

Having spent her childhood in the remote region of Asturias in Spain, Eliza travelled to Italy, where she worked with horses, and then to Scotland, where she studied Architecture at the Mackintosh School of Art in Glasgow. Postgraduate studies followed in London, but after several years in architectural practice, she decided to change career and dedicate herself to making art full time.

Eliza's speciality is silk screen printing, but she also works in linocut, mixed media, watercolour, acrylic, pen and charcoal . As a keen fan of cycling, much of her work is cycling-themed, but other sources of inspiration are cityscapes, sports and people.

4 years ago she moved to Spain, returning to the same remote area she grew up in, and since then has taken inspiration from the surrounding landscapes and rural local activities, whilst continuing with the themes that interest her.

The name of show is a reflection on what it means to be outside, especially after so many were trapped indoors during the restrictions of the pandemic. It is about sports, movement, and simply taking joy in the environment around us.

Eliza's work is displayed with sculptures and miniatures by David Mayne, the creator of the Farnham Sculpture outside the gallery. David's much loved indoor sculptures depict popular activities such as cycling and woodland walks.

View work from the show

Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

Jack Doherty, Round Folded Rim Vessel

30 April to 11 June 2022

Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

Jack Doherty's work is concerned with function but not necessarily utility. He is intrigued and inspired by the potency of archetypal vessel forms. Anonymous and uncomplicated pots from pre-history used for storing, cooking and keeping people safe through winters and giving protection in the everyday world can also function in other ways. Jack sees them as figurative objects. As guardians of emotion and connectors with the spiritual, he wants his work to inhabit our domestic spaces in the light, shadow and darkness with qualities that neither painting or abstract sculpture can.

Jack uses one clay, one colouring mineral and a single firing with soda. Over time, the techniques have become simpler but more refined, in the belief that stripping away what is unnecessary can produce work with complexity and depth. His palette of colour is achieved through the versatility of copper. The kiln is a vital creative element in his making process. The long firing alternates between oxidisation and reduction atmospheres, the surface texture is produced by blasting the forms with a sodium solution at high temperature.

Jack was Chair of the Ceramics Potters Association for 10 years, a founder and current Chair of Ceramic Art London and from 2008 - 2013, the first Lead Potter and Creative Director of the Leach Pottery.

View work from the show

The Contemporary Glass Society: Joyful Reflections - Celebrating the International Year of Glass

Laura Quinn, Tacit Dimension, Detail

  • Laura Quinn, Tacit Dimension, Detail

30 April to 11 June 2022

The Contemporary Glass Society: Joyful Reflections - Celebrating the International Year of Glass

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution declaring the year 2022 as the International Year of Glass to celebrate the heritage and importance of this material in our lives. To celebrate this, the New Ashgate is delighted to present two art glass exhibitions this year.

This exhibition is a collaboration with the Contemporary Glass Society to present Joyful Reflections, an exhibition featuring 15 exceptional makers working in a variety of diverse glass techniques.

The Contemporary Glass Society is the leading organisation representing national and international glass artists, designers, and makers. With over 1,000 members, the society champions the work of independent makers through a variety of initiatives including business development opportunities and exhibitions at leading galleries all over the UK.

On their 50th anniversary, we are delighted to announce that the Crafts Council has selected the exhibition as a Make! Craft Live! partner.

In Joyful Reflections, the artists step back from the sadness of the pandemic and embrace the joy of life as we know it now. Vibrant colours and transparent forms reflect the joyful moments we have come to appreciate in everyday life.

Selected makers include Teresa Chlapowski, Hannah Gibson, Jianyong Guo, Laura Hart, Julie Light, Roberta Mason, Wendy Newhofer, Lisa Pettibone, Laura Quinn, Morag Reekie, Amy Skachill Burke, Nancy Sutcliffe, Cara Wassenberg, Frans Wesselman and Sandra Young.

Testing the parameters of the material, the makers highlight their refined craft skills including blown, cast, fused, engraved and stained-glass techniques through a collective of sculptural and decorative work.

The exhibition highlights the luminous, reflective, and often illusional qualities of glass, celebrating its unique ability to express fragility, rigidity, pattern, and form.

Our second exhibition for the International Year of Glass opens on 24th September, presenting stained glass by Jessica Stroud, the Surrey Artist of the Year 2021.

Henrietta Corbett: In the Making: Paintings, Prints and Ceramics Sculpture

Henrietta Corbett, Blue Horse, Red Moon, acrylic on plastic

12 March to 23 April 2022

Henrietta Corbett: In the Making: Paintings, Prints and Ceramics Sculpture

Henrietta's prints, ceramics and paintings, rich in textures and simple forms, are full of totemic creatures. Horses and birds stand in abstracted landscapes. While her imagery has a timeless quality, recalling animals carved into chalk hills or on a cave wall, her bold compositions and sophisticated mark-making demonstrate the confidence of an artist at the height of her powers.

Henrietta's sculptures and printmaking often show her images pared down, creating stylised lines and minimal form. Her paintings, however, are strong colourful depictions with an inventive pallet reminiscent of the Fauves.

Having studied fine art at Wolverhampton Polytechnic under Anish Kapoor and Nicola Hicks, Henrietta has become one of Leicestershire's most widely recognised artists, her work is shown in leading galleries throughout the UK.

Porter + Trundle: The Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2021

Sarah Porter

James Trundle

  • James In The Workshop Copy

12 March to 23 April 2022

Porter + Trundle: The Winner of Rising Stars Award in 2021

In 2014 award-winning British artists Sarah Emily Porter and James Trundle discussed how their individual practices could form a makers collective, but it wasn't until Trundle helped Porter fabricate 'Anatomy of Colour' in 2018 that they realised the potential in working together. The following year they set up Porter + Trundle from their South London workshop.

Presenting the perfect fusion of colour, form and craftsmanship, Porter + Trundle form a well-balanced duo. Their innovative and bespoke approach to design produces visually challenging and technically complex objects that are simultaneously unique works of art. Working to an individual's brief, Porter + Trundle promote close working relationships with architects, interior designers, retailers, private collectors and brands to create unique, high quality objects. As talented designers and makers Porter + Trundle work from initial design concept through to fabrication and installation with the added bonus of everything being produced in-house.

In 2021 they won the New Ashgate Rising Stars Award and in 2019 were awarded the Richard Seager Annual Arts Award. In 2020 they became a member of the Crafts Council UK Hothouse Talent Alumni.

Sarah Emily Porter is a visual artist who explores the historical constructs of painting - colour, composition and form. She studied Architectural History at Durham University (2005-2008) before later completing a Fine Art Graduate Diploma at Chelsea College of Art, UAL in 2016. Since then she has exhibited internationally, won the Broomhill National Sculpture Prize 2018, was invited to be the 2019 resident artist at the NLCS Jeju Arts Festival in South Korea and has been shortlisted for the Jackson's Painting Prize, Signature Art Prize and Annex Acquisition Award.

James Trundle worked as a boat builder and fine furniture maker for ten years before formalising his training at the Slade School of Art (2012-2016). Trundle is interested in the process of making and material manipulation, creating sculptures that transition between conceptual art and traditional craftsmanship. He was a finalist in the Woon Foundation Prize, Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize and Broomhill National Sculpture Prize.

Rising Stars 2022

12 March to 23 April 2022

Rising Stars 2022

Rising Stars is a curated, national platform to foster and champion new talent, early career makers, students and graduates from BA and MA crafts, design and applied arts programmes across the UK. Rising Stars offers new makers a first step into the market place, through a curated, selling exhibition. It is also an exciting collector opportunity for those wishing to support and collect work by future stars.

The programme will consist of the Rising Stars exhibition that enables new makers to access the market place and collectors; professional development, and a catalogue to act as a promotional tool for the selected makers. The 2022 project will also be supporting new makers in the post COVID-19 craft world.

Following a popular open call, we are delighted to announce that the makers selected for the Rising Stars 2022 are:

Agate & Ayre, Balanced Earth, Maddy Barnett, Peter Black, Michelle Chung, Kunning Ding, Catherine Dunstan, Lilly Eris, Claudette Forbes, Beatrice Galletley, Cathy Green, Lara Rebecca Hoad, Zeba Imam, Seongeun Kim, Annabelle Laurie Macleod, Pratibha Mistry, Ji-Hyun Song, Sarah Sullivan, Dr Hannah White and Jane Wilson.

We recognise there is a lack of representation from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ makers and makers who identify as having a visible or non-visible disability in the southeast region. To address this imbalance, 11 of 20 Rising Stars makers are from one of the underrepresented groups.

The shortlisted makers were selected by a panel of judges; Dan Goode (Making Goode), Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery), Sharon Ting (University for the Creative Arts, Textiles).

One of the makers will be presented a professional development award of £1,000 and a solo exhibition at New Ashgate in 2023.

Rising Stars 2022 is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts and Dan Goode of Making Goode. It is supported by Billmeir Charitable Trust.

#NAGRisingStars2022

The 29th British Art Medal Society Student Medal Project

Grand First Prize: Presented by the Worshipful Company of Founders (£1000) - Jana Griffiths, Interloper, University for the Creative Arts. The Worshipful Company will sponsor the casting of this medal for their collection.

12 March to 23 April 2022

The 29th British Art Medal Society Student Medal Project

This exhibition presents art medals made by students in art colleges around the UK for the Project 2022, and also includes a guest university from Pforzheim in Germany.

Collections of art medals can be found in many museums, and the British Art Medal Society organises talks by makers and by curators about modern medals, as well as commissioning work for sale to its members.

Contemporary art medals is a wonderful medium for students to learn the age-old skills involved with lost-wax casting; skills such as modelling, working in wax and plaster, and, ultimately, seeing their work cast into bronze.

But what is an 'art medal'? It is a small, two-sided artwork in relief, carrying a powerful narrative, perhaps, or celebrating an event, or making a statement about the state of the world.

This is the 29th year of the Student Medal Project, and a record twenty UK colleges/universities participated plus the invited university, Pforzheim, in Germany, resulting in 148 UK student works with 12 from Germany (plus a number of works by teachers). The British Art Medal Society congratulates you all; the standard was very high and the art of the medal is alive and well and absolutely flourishing here. No other country has seen such accomplishment by student artists, in terms of learning the skills connected to the bronze casting of contemporary art medals.

The judges for this year were: Kate Harrison (artist/medal maker/jeweller); Gregory Fattorini (prize sponsor); Jessica Ihejetoh (art administrator); Janet Larkin (British Museum curator, Secretary BAMS); Marcy Leavitt Bourne (Director, Project).

All Winners will be made members of BAMS for one year, receiving the Medal journal, and invitations to talks and events.

The Top Two Prizes:

Grand First Prize: Presented by the Worshipful Company of Founders (£1000) -
Jana Griffiths, Interloper, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. The Worshipful Company will sponsor the casting of this medal for their collection.

Grand Second Prize: Presented by Thomas Fattorini Ltd (£500) -
Jessica Troje-Tuck, Sleeping Foxes, Falmouth University.

Barry Stedman: Maker in Focus

Barry Stedman, Island Life series, 10x10cm

15 January to 5 March 2022

Barry Stedman: Maker in Focus

Barry Stedman is a ceramic artist whose colourful, dynamic forms come out of a deep connection to the landscape. All the work, developed in series, is rooted in the directness and urgency of drawing outside; responding to the weather, drama and life which surrounds his garden studio by the river Flit in Bedford.

Starting on the wheel or constructed in slabs, the earthenware vessels are cut open and altered, scored and handled, before being glazed with layers of oxide, slip and washes of vivid colour. The vessels are then offered to the kiln, sometimes in multiple firings, in an open dialogue of transformation; infused with the marks, rhythm and energy of their making.

Stedman came to ceramics after a career in retail when he was seduced by the possibilities of clay to express abstract ideas of colour and form. He completed a Ceramics degree at the University of Westminster in 2009 where he received the Caparo Award, joining Edmund de Waal's studio that same year. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and galleries across the UK and internationally.

View work from the show

Spring Craft Collection 2022: Craft with Local Heart

Lucy Burley, Spring Green group: Canary Yellow round vase, Light Olive bottle, Citrus Green bottle, Deep Olive bottle, New Leaf Green oval vase

15 January to 16 April 2022

Spring Craft Collection 2022: Craft with Local Heart

The Spring Craft Collection presents a curated range of unique, local and nationally renowned craft. Treat yourself to something new for your home or buy gifts for your loved ones. Pop in, browse and shop away from the crowds. You'll be supporting a local gallery and small creative artist businesses if you do, as well as finding something special.

We are delighted present a new collection of:

Ceramics by: Lucy Burley, Arjan van Dal, Georgie Gardiner, Emma Godden, Ken Eardley, Bérengère Noyau, Alison Proctor and Ali Tomlin.

Jewellery by: Holly Suzanna Clifford, Rachel Jones, Ulli Kaiser and Tracy Wilson.

Textiles by: Claire Armitage and Helen Chatterton and many more...

View work from the show

Half-term Family Crafts: Learn to Embroider Your Monogram

Ekta Kaul workshop

25 October 2021

Half-term Family Crafts: Learn to Embroider Your Monogram

Monday 25 October, 2-3pm | The New Ashgate Gallery
Free - booking is required
Suitable for children aged 5-10, attending with a guardian
All materials will be provided


Children are invited to learn to draw and stitch their initials in this fun and joyful workshop.

Artist Ekta Kaul will gently guide participants to learn simple stitches. These stitches can be used to personalise children's bags and coats. All materials including fabric, threads and needles will be provided. Children are welcome to bring a personal piece that they'd like to add their monogram on.

Ekta Kaul is an award-winning textile artist known for her embroidered maps. This workshop organised as part of our Surrey Artist of the Year season, and it is supported by Patricia Baines Trust. It is also part of our Craft Month celebrations for our World Craft Town.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/half-term-family-crafts-learn-to-embroider-your-monogram-tickets-170007726687

Chrissy Silver: New Ashgate Winner at Festival of Crafts

25 September to 6 November 2021

Chrissy Silver: New Ashgate Winner at Festival of Crafts

Chrissy is a passionate gardener and potter. She works with porcelain making fine detailed lamps, pendants, and tea light holders using botanical pressings from flowers she grows in her garden. The lamp light accentuates the fine detail made by the pressings leaving a 'ghost image' where the light shines through. Chrissy also uses pieces is fine linen, lace, and lava stones. All pieces are made with the freshest of foliage, making each piece unique and capturing the essence of the seasons for reflexion in the darker winter months.

Chrissy was selected as the New Ashgate Gallery winner of the Festival of Crafts, the Farnham Maltings, in October 2020.

Surrey Artist of the Year 2021

  • Logo 1.SAOS Black Univers 2014 Jpeg
  • Contemporary Art Fair Surrey 782505312 300x300 Copy

25 September to 6 November 2021

Surrey Artist of the Year 2021

Come and vote for your favourite Surrey artist and support the local talent with us.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, including different materials and techniques such as painting, glass, textiles, ceramics, collage / assemblage book and paper art.

Again, during the exhibition, until 22th October, 12noon, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2021 on 22nd at 7pm. The winner receives a bursary of £1,500, a solo show at the New Ashgate Gallery and a complementary Winner's Stand at the Surrey Contemporary Art Fair.

The shortlisted artists in 2021 are: Sophie Artemis, Monique Birley, Sarah Cox, Penny Fleet, Keira Graham, Penny Green, Hilary Jones, Yeside Linney, Alison Orchard, Stephen Pitchforth, Sue Ransley, Louise Rowe, Jo Shepherd, Jessica Stroud, Dawn Thornhill and Jean Tolkovsky.

The season includes workshops for adults, families and artists - please contact us for information.

The competition is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the Surrey Open Studios. It is supported by the Patricia Baines Trust and Contemporary Art Fairs. The Surrey Life magazine, which has a monthly section dedicated to the local art scene, is the official media partner of the competition.

Pippa Ward: Say it with Plastic: The winner of the Surrey Artist of the Year competition in 2019

Sculpture created with children

Pippa Ward with her installation at Farnham Town Council

  • Pippa Ward, Installation at Farnham Town Council
  • Pippa Ward, King of the Castle

21 August to 6 November 2021

Pippa Ward: Say it with Plastic: The winner of the Surrey Artist of the Year competition in 2019

Artist in Residence and family and school workshops: August - September 2021

Exhibition: 25 September - 6 November


We are delighted to invite Pippa Ward for a month long residency that consists of a series of community workshops run by Pippa, using discarded plastics.

Working with Farnham children, families and schools, Pippa inspires, educates and raises awareness of plastics in our environment, whilst having fun creating a new artwork using plastic tops, bags and drinks cartoons with Farnham children. The residency and the workshops are followed by Pippa's solo exhibition, presenting a new body of artwork and celebrating her time as the Surrey Artist of the Year.

Pippa's work is focused on the environment, with an interest in our use and relationship with single use, found plastics; bags, bottle tops and beach plastic. She looks at man's inevitable impact on nature by using these materials. Pippa works with these ubiquitous and disposable materials and objects that do untold damage to our environment if discarded and used carelessly. Plastic's unimaginably long lifespan, coupled with how casually we, as a society treat it, becomes a perfect metaphor for our almost blind overconsumption of the material.

In the words of philosopher Roland Barthes the essence of an object has something to do with the way it turns into trash, possibly meaning that once an object has been discarded, and thus absolved of its function, its form becomes brightly visible out of its original place and freed from its status as a commodity. Once an object is no longer treated in terms of its use/value, the 'thingness' and 'unwantedness' of an item intensifies. This is when Pippa becomes interested in it.

Pippa acquires plastic by visiting beaches regularly, particularly following a storm. The processes that follow involve gathering, manipulating and arranging of materials - using mindful taxonomy and grouping to create arrangements that, at times, speak of scientific plates and classification, or of marine narratives and environments that Pippa encounters. She looks at the effect man-made and natural materials have on each other, and particularly man's impact on nature. With newly formed awareness of the abundance of plastic in our seas, we now have a love/hate relationship with the substance. We rely on plastic and at times we desire these convenient single use items, even though we know the damage they are causing, and continue to cause. The pieces are found on the beach, can be seen as a 'tidemark' where the sea has deposited minute nurdles, bullet casings, tampon applicators, bottle tops and toys - all plastic. They can be wedged between rocks or blown up into the sand dunes, but they are becoming a part of our earth - literally. These are becoming our future fossils and relics, which, if arranged carefully, can be evocative of coral reefs or seaside settings, sometimes mimicking the natural world at first, beautiful to the eye, before the 'reader' sees what they truly are.

The Surrey Artist of the Year project is supported by Patricia Baines Trust and the workshops programme by Farnham South Street Trust.

Paula Reason: A Love Letter to My Father

Paula Reason, machine embroidery on quilted silk background

31 July to 18 September 2021

Paula Reason: A Love Letter to My Father

Paula Reason's quilted sculptural installation is a portrait of her father's room at a scale of 1:5. It is an investigation into how the personalities become embedded into our surrounding in the selection of artefacts that the artist and her father use and how they take comfort from this. Paula's quilting technique figuratively wraps her father in his familiar surroundings when he was in hospital.

Paula's experience as an architect forms the foundations for her artistic practice. She works with textiles and paint. The specific qualities of this medium provides an almost unlimited way to explore and express the relationships that we have with the built environment.

Paula's bespoke work was featured in Collect 2020 with a large sculptural silk panels provided an insight into the relationship that three established craftspeople have with their studio spaces.

Paula accepts commissions for small to large-scale site-specific artwork for the home, commercial spaces and museum and gallery exhibits.

Weave and Waves: Christina Taylor-Smith and Jacqueline James

Christina Taylor-Smith, Leap for Joy, mixed media relief print (Lino-stencil-metal leaf)

Jacqueline James, Colour Mixing, hand woven rug

  • 6. Colour Mixing Hand Woven Rug By J James Detail 1

31 July to 18 September 2021

Weave and Waves: Christina Taylor-Smith and Jacqueline James

Our summer exhibition brings together two artists who are inspired by rich colour and geometric patterns, lines and rhythms. Their work is an outstanding example of traditional techniques that are combined with contemporary design style.

Christina Taylor-Smith combines line and colour to evoke aspects and rhythms found both in nature and man-made structures. The richness and depth of colour combined with the beautiful embossing gives the work an interesting surface. The focus is on the essence of things with an awareness of the fragile and transient quality of a moment in time. The lines are interconnecting, easily broken, lost and found. The built-up of consecutive lines acquire a density and rhythm which can be fragile, flowing or appear like the layers in strata. In her most recent work, Christina has started to incorporate metal leaf to emphasise the preciousness of nature in its jewel- like quality. This adds yet another dimension in the way light plays and is reflected on the surface of the work.

Jacqueline James is an award-winning weaver who specialises in making individually designed hand dyed and woven rugs and wall hangings for distinctive interiors. Inspiration for new designs comes from everywhere, but she is particularly inspired by the colours and patterns found in nature, landscapes and architecture.

As a rug weaver Jacqueline is part of the International Weaving Community; thus, it continues an important heritage craft tradition. Her work is found in public and private collections in the UK and USA. Each weaving is exclusively made in Jacqueline's York studio using British rug wool, cotton and linen.

Family Craft Workshop: Flower Power with artist Sonia Percival

  • 20210513 174403

27 June 2021

Family Craft Workshop: Flower Power with artist Sonia Percival

Picnic in the Park, Gostrey Meadows
Sunday 27 June 2021, 12-6pm
Free | open to all ages | all materials provided
Free BOOKING to Picnic in the Park is required

NOTE: this event is now SOLD OUT.

Join us to celebrate Flower Power with Sonia Percival, Farnham based artist.

Our activity will use recycled paper, coloured by Sonia to build unique flower structures that capture colour and texture; inspired by our natural surroundings and local distinctiveness.

The activity is open to all ages, and you will go home with a crafted flower which could become a brooch, a sculpture or even a Frida Kahlo inspired head dress. Find your inner flower power and choose your 'Flower Power' colours with a modern twist of orange, yellow, ochre, lime green and neon pops.

Flower Power: Take-Away Packs

If you can't make it on 27th June, come and collect your Flower Power craft pack from the New Ashgate Gallery after the event - all materials provided. Subject to availability.

Organised by New Ashgate Gallery; supported by Farnham Town Council.

Graham Dean: Small Size Only

Graham Dean, Small Solace, 2021, 39x29cm, watercolour on arches

12 June to 24 July 2021

Graham Dean: Small Size Only

Graham Dean is a painter of identity. For Graham, the body is a 'holding-pen of emotions'. His protagonists are the receptacles of these emotions and memories, witnesses of the human condition and the complex human interaction with the world. His painting essentially becomes an investigation of the surfaced and the subconscious.

Using what he refers to as reverse archaeology, Graham revitalises the traditional watercolour technique: contrasting layers of paint are applied sequentially on thick handmade Indian paper, each sheet undergoes a process of tearing and overlapping to create a final composition, and correlates to the multilayering of the epidermis shielding human body. Graham masterfully uses thickness of the paper and sensual veils of watercolour, the transparency of the media. Artist's painterly vision and savoir-faire of the material and the process helps him to create evocative painted atmospheres in which his protagonists exist and interact, catching and escaping our gaze, as if suspended in watery and dreamy alternative worlds.

Su Jameson: Small Stories

Su Jameson, See No Evil, ceramic, 26x13x8cm, 2021

12 June to 24 July 2021

Su Jameson: Small Stories

Su Jameson's hand built ceramic sculptures strive to create exchanges, both physical and emotional. Drawn from personal experiences, interactions and observations her work explores human strength and fragility, communication, and belonging. At once particular and universal the work invites contemplation and reinterpretation.

Expression is sought through form and surfaces created through various stoneware clays; porcelain, black, and crank, that is impressed to create textures then manipulated into structures using slab and direct modelling techniques. Finally, inspired by earth colours; slips, oxides and glazes are applied.

Su won the Surrey Artist of the Year competition in 2017.

Glass Stars: Peter Layton, Bruce Marks, Laura McKinley and Vezzini & Chen: Exceptional Talent from the London Glassblowing Studio

Peter Layton, Pastel Georgia Group

Bruce Marks, Yellow Grey Birds, photo: A. Cotterill | Peter Layton, Circle of Hope

  • Bruce Marks Birds 1
  • Circles Of Hope Group

24 April to 31 July 2021

Glass Stars: Peter Layton, Bruce Marks, Laura McKinley and Vezzini & Chen: Exceptional Talent from the London Glassblowing Studio

Due to popularity, the artwork is now availble until 31 July.

The London Glassblowing studio has nurtured and produced some of the world's leading glass artists and continues to do so to this day. The exhibition presents sculpture by four of its star glass artists:

Artist, pioneer, mentor, Peter Layton is one of the founding fathers of British studio glass. He discovered the art while teaching ceramics in the US in the 1960s, and has played a major part in elevating glass from an industrial medium to a highly collectable art form. Most importantly, he gave it a home in the UK.

Peter started with a small glass studio in the Highlands of Scotland while relying on pottery to ensure a living. However, the big city called, as did glass - it needed more dedicated champions. In 1976 he opened the first London Glassblowing Workshop in an old towage works on the Thames at Rotherhithe and later on moved to Bermondsey.

Peter takes inspiration from his environment, natural or manmade: a stone wall on a snowy day, the London skyline, or works by great painters. From a mere detail, a flash of a Klimt orange or a slick of oil on the Thames, he creates painterly works with a masterly use of colour. Throughout his career, he has been courted by major art institutions, commercial buyers and private collectors. His work is held in various museums in the UK, Europe and America, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK.

Bruce Marks' Birds have attracted an avid and enthusiastic public following. Bruce has achieved deceptively simple abstract forms, which allude to bird shapes. He says: I am a long-time admirer of the sculptor Brancusi. I envy his ability to capture the essence of his subject, creating a purity of form with minimal detail, whilst projecting profound presence. Bruce's response has been to strip back his forms to achieve an exquisite simplicity retaining a definite bird-like quality.

Laura McKinley's fascination for glass as a creative medium stems from its capacity to constantly alter her initial thoughts and expectations. The spontaneity of the hot material demands instant visual judgments that give rise to shifts in her ideas. These allow her to make tangible her explorations of volume, scale and the random interplay of forms. Serendipity and the unexpected often point the way to the next starting point for making. An element of her inspiration is the Italian technique Incalmo. This involves the hot joining of two separately blown glass bubbles of different colour to form one piece, the join then becoming invisible. Once cold, the fluidity of these objects is interrupted by cutting to expose voids which enable the viewer to see both the internal and exterior spaces. The varying thickness of glass and polished angled surfaces create ever-changing effects of light and shadow, a characteristic that is exploited to create an environment of illusion. Laura's work is an invitation to engage with the tranquil beauty of the incidental.

Vezzini & Chen's work is defined by the artful marriage of hand carved ceramics and blown glass. The collections tread a fine line between functional and conceptual, with the design duo creating sculptural hand crafted lighting, glassware, interior accessories and installation pieces.

View work from the show

Niamh Duddy: The Winner of the Rising Stars 2020 Award: One Year On

Niamh Duddy, Winner of Rising Stars 2020 Award

13 March to 22 April 2021

Niamh Duddy: The Winner of the Rising Stars 2020 Award: One Year On

Niamh Duddy is a contempory jeweller from Derry, Northern Ireland. Niamh is intrigued by the relationship that jewellery shares with the body, unlike any other art form jewellery is worn and occupies an intimate space.

Niamhs collection 'Keeping The Piece' is inspired by her upbringing in Derry and her awareness of the divisions within surround communities. Working primarily in jesmonite, if the pieces were all forced into the frames in different directions, they would not stay in place and the piece would all fall apart. However, Niamh has created shapes that, when working together, find an equilibrium and work in unison to keep the 'peace' together.

For Niamh, making was a way of exploring her world, by developing an understanding, a meaning and a creative voice. This collection stemmed from questioning the relationship that jewellery shares with the body and how wearing the jewellery becomes almost a subconscious act.

Rising Stars 2021

13 March to 22 April 2021

Rising Stars 2021

Rising Stars is a curated, national platform to foster and champion new talent, early career makers, students and graduates from BA and MA crafts, design and applied arts programmes across the UK. Rising Stars offers new makers a first step into the market place, through a curated, selling exhibition. It is also an exciting collector opportunity for those wishing to support and collect work by future stars.

The programme will consist of the Rising Stars exhibition that enables new makers to access the market place and collectors; professional development including knowledge transfer on topics such as pricing guidance, advice on marketing and how to gain and manage new connections, and a catalogue to act as a promotional tool for the selected makers. The 2021 focus will be on supporting new makers in the post COVID-19 market place.

Following an open call, 20 makers of exceptional talent were selected from nearly 100 applicants. They are Deborah Beck, Alice Burnhope, Alessandra Centorbi, Hari Gordon, Jo Harrison-Hall, Katie Iacovou, Qiang Li, Janet Lines, Chloe McCarrick, Jayden Newman, Mark Newman, Marged Owain, Porter + Trundle, Laura Quinn, Irene Roca Moracia, Bronte Simpson-Little, Sydney Alts, Paul Wheeler, Jean White and Jessie White.

The makers were selected by a panel of judges; Dan Goode (Making Goode), Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery), Sharon Ting (University for the Creative Arts, Textiles) and Debra Allman (UCA, Jewellery, Ceramics & Glass).

One of the makers will be presented a professional development award of £500 and a solo exhibition at New Ashgate in 2022.

Rising Stars 2021 is organised by New Ashgate Gallery in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts and Dan Goode of Making Goode. It is supported by Billmeir Charitable Trust.

Buy the catalogue at: catalogue

Niamh Duddy, Winner of Rising Stars Award 2020: Niamh Duddy
Mitch Pilkington, Winner of Rising Stars Award 2019: Mitch Pilkington

#RisingStars2021

Anna Lambert: 40 Year of Ceramics

Anna Lambert, Grass Woods hazels, orange wide jug, 15 x 24 x 11cm

16 January to 22 April 2021

Anna Lambert: 40 Year of Ceramics

Anna Lambert makes slip-painted slab-built earthenware exploring narratives relating to land use, and the regeneration of woodland and orchards.

Anna's ideas reflect an interest in her locality exploring narratives relating to, amongst other things, climate change in her local landscape and the regeneration of orchards. Inspired by new nature writing, she engages with a common language beyond pastoral sentimentality, combining drawing with the abstract qualities of pots, their spaces, edges and surfaces.

Each piece is unique. The work uses drawing in the landscape as a starting point. Most pieces are assembled from fine pliable sheets (slabs) of clay - white earthenware mixed with a rougher clay, Earthstone ES40 - which are then altered, cut and fettled. Some may have added sections of texture from carved or lino cut designs. When the form is finished, pieces are painted with multiple layers of coloured slips, often with darker underpainting, which may then be cut back to reveal the embossed pattern or drawn on with sgraffitto. Further layers may be added with the use of hand cut tissue paper stencils and masks. The pieces are bisque fired to 1100before being inlaid with contrasting slips in the sgraffitto areas and dipped or sprayed with a lead bisilicate glaze. The final firing is to 1105

Anna is a nationally recognised full time maker, a fellow and council member of the Craft Potters Association, exhibiting throughout the UK and Europe.

Family Drop-In Workshop: Create a Pinecone Bird Sculpture

19 December 2020

Family Drop-In Workshop: Create a Pinecone Bird Sculpture

Drop-in sculpture workshop at New Ashgate Gallery

19 December | 15-minute sessions running from 11:00am to 3:00pm | For ages 4-10 | FREE - Booking required on the day

Join us at New Ashgate Gallery to see the brand new sculpture by David Mayne and learn how to create your own mini bird sculpture! Local artist, Vikki Leedham, will show you how to create a wise Owl or festive Robin using foraged materials including acorns, pinecones and oak leaves.

Take home an activity pack to try more birds with help from our step-by-step video and instructions.

Activity organised by New Ashgate Gallery. Supported by South Street Trust and Farnham Town Council.

Craft Town Public Art Commission: David Mayne: The Farnham Sculpture

David Mayne, The Farnham Sculpture, detail

  • Detail

16 December 2020 to 16 December 2021

Craft Town Public Art Commission: David Mayne: The Farnham Sculpture

Visit us to see the Farnham Sculpture, the new public art commission in Waggon Yard, celebrating the World Craft Town Farnham.

Proposals were invited in 2019 for a public sculpture that is inspired by the heritage and tradition of crafts in Farnham practised in the area during the Roman period: the district was known as a pottery centre due to its supply of gault clay, oak woodland for fuel and good communication links. Kilns dating as far as AD 100 have been found in the area. Today, Farnham hosts a remarkable number of craft institutions and makers. The sculpture aims to enhance the public knowledge and understanding of the heritage while bringing pleasure to the community and visitors alike.

In early 2020, the local community voted to choose from three shortlisted proposals. David Mayne was awarded the Craft Town Public Art Commission. David's Farnham Sculpture received 58% of the public vote.

The Farnham Sculpture celebrates the oak tree - something which was abundant in the area while also links to the history and heritage of Farnham. It is fabricated from steel, bronze and oak and the bronze acorn was first modelled in clay. Imagery refers to the oak forests that surrounded Farnham.

The project involved working with local schools and the community in the design for a sense of shared ownership with the local community in the final artwork. There are 19 designs and messages in the Farnham Sculpture that were provided by local children and the schools in either the Zoom sessions with David Mayne or the Draw a Sculpture competition. This includes two prize winners which are carved into the surface of the oak.

David Mayne is a sculptor of national repute who produces work for galleries, public spaces and the domestic environment. His artwork has been commissioned throughout the country and can be found in town centres, rural locations, public buildings and private homes and gardens. Over the past 30 years, David has developed his work from raw assemblage with found objects to the much more refined pieces he now creates.

The Farnham Sculpture is supported by Arts Council England and the related events are supported by the Farnham Town Council and South Street Trust.

We would like to thank Arts Council England, Farnham Town Council, our steering group, consisting of Charlotte Hall (Waverley Borough Council), Vikki Leedham (Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden), Sue Farrow (Farnham Public Art Trust), Sarah Carrington Hubbard (public art consultant) and Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery). Also, many thanks to our craft town partners and the local community and schools for their interest and taking actively part in the project.

Mindful Stitch: A zoom workshop with Ekta Kaul - open to beginners & experienced embroiderers - NOW FULLY BOOKED

5 October 2020

Mindful Stitch: A zoom workshop with Ekta Kaul - open to beginners & experienced embroiderers - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Monday 5 October, 10am-1pm, a zoom workshop.
Donations / free - booking is required. The bookings close on 28 September. Max. 10 participants.

In our current times when social distancing is the new normal, stitch has proved to be a sanctuary for many. The gentle rhythm of needle and thread soothes inner turmoil, creates a space for creative expression and enhances wellbeing.

Explore the calming effects of embroidery with artist Ekta Kaul in this online workshop. Participants will learn to explore simple mark making by responding to shapes & textures drawn from nature. Under Ekta's gentle guidance you will evolve a personal vocabulary of hand stitches inspired by mark making. Ekta will also share processes and techniques that she uses within her own work. This course is suitable for beginners and experienced sewers. Ekta is an award winning textile artist and experienced educator who explores places, histories and belonging through stitched maps.

What do you need to take part:

You will need a laptop/tablet with a speaker and camera. A Zoom link will be sent to all participants with details of how to join the workshop. Fabrics, some threads and notes will be sent to the participants. The participants will need to bring their own needle, scissors, pencil, paper, hoop and needle threader (optional).

Book here
The workshop is organised by the New Ashgate Gallery. It is part of our Craft Month celebrations and supported by the Farnham Town Council.

CHICKPEA by Harriett Grist: Our Festival of Crafts winner

Chickpea textiles

26 September to 7 November 2020

CHICKPEA by Harriett Grist: Our Festival of Crafts winner

CHICKPEA by Harriett Grist presents a range of handmade knitted products including, cushions, purses, and home accessories. All her products are designed and produced in the UK using high quality lambswool yarn for a soft and luxury feel.

Harriett was selected as the New Ashgate Gallery winner in the Festival of Crafts, the Farnham Maltings in October 2019 as a new star talent.

Celebrating 45 years of the Designer Jewellers' Group

Shelby Fitzpatrick, 3-strand Perspex hexagon necklace blue violet azure

26 September to 7 November 2020

Celebrating 45 years of the Designer Jewellers' Group

Traditional craftsmanship and cutting edge design at its best, the Designer Jewellers' Group will be celebrating their 45th anniversary at the New Ashgate Gallery in September.

From the Bauhaus inspired designs of Petra Bishai, and Emma Farquharson to the naturalistic influences apparent in the work of Annie Ruthven-Taggart and Christina Hirst. Etching and paper pressing feature in the patterned surfaces of Jill Newbrook and Georgina Taylor and vibrant colour from Ute Sanne and Harriet St Leger using rich gold, stones and enamel. Plastic as a precious material inspires Shelby Fitzpatrick and Sarah Macrae and Ulli Kaiser incorporating unusual materials such as antique beads, fur and paper.

History of the Designer Jewellers' Group

The Designer Jewellers' Group started in 1976 between a small group of jewellers eager to showcase and market original work and to promote the best of studio jewellery to the public. Back then there were few outlets for contemporary jewellery and the group were the first group to show at the Goldsmiths Fair in 1977. All members of the Group work for the mutual benefit of the whole, as well as each member having an individual approach to design and their own original creative 'voice'.

Since the creation of the group exhibitions have taken place worldwide, including at the Goldsmiths' Centre, Liberty's, Harvey Nichols, the Cecilia Colman gallery and internationally in Japan, Dubai and the USA. Starting in 1984, a collaboration between the DJG and the Barbican Arts Centre developed into a regular and very popular bi-annual event, continuing for 32 years until 2016. Recently the group can be found at Christmas at the home of the London Livery Company, The Worshipful Company of Salters in London.

Maker in Focus: Ellul Ceramics

Ellul Ceramics, Botanical Tiles, 10cm. Photo: L. Hutchinson

  • EllulCeramics 4

8 August to 19 September 2020

Maker in Focus: Ellul Ceramics

Lisa Ellul creates her unique hand built ceramic vessels, forms and botanical wall art from her studio in the beautiful Peak District. Lisa studied Three Dimensional Design at the Manchester Metropolitan University specialising in ceramics. It was during her second year of study that Lisa was selected to take part in an exchange program to study ceramics at Blaker College in Norway. It was here in the isolation of rural Norway in the depths of winter that her true love of ceramics blossomed. She loved the versatility and endless possibilities of clay.

Lisa aims for her pieces to intrigue and fascinate the viewer. Lisa's vessels are constructed from layers of finely rolled tubes or cones of clay. These are organised in a structured formation building the thickness of the vessel wall. Some vessels are multi-layered and hold a solid, weighted volume. Others are simple one-layer vessels resembling seed pods. This method of construction creates an intricate texture and articulation of surface. Surfaces are almost bone like with fossilised leaf patterns or inlayed textures. Simple washes of oxides highlight texture and the occasional use of gold leaf adds a sense of luminosity and luxury. She has always had a love of nature and been fascinated by the beautiful natural structures and textures found in plants, bark and seed pods. It is this natural theme that inspires her ceramics.

Lisa has exhibited throughout the United Kingdom as well as America and Europe. Her ceramics are in the collection of the City Gallery, Manchester and William Ismay's private collection since donated to the Yorkshire Museum.

CALLING ALL YOUNG MASTERS: Sculptural Imagination: Draw a Sculpture Competition

18 June to 1 August 2020

CALLING ALL YOUNG MASTERS: Sculptural Imagination: Draw a Sculpture Competition

The New Ashgate Gallery Trust and the sculptor David Maybe are delighted to invite Farnham families, schools and nurseries to take part in the Sculptural Imagination: Draw a Sculpture competition. All drawings will be assessed by David Mayne, the winner of the new Farnham Sculpture public art commission. There will be one winner in each category (up to 8 years and 9-14-year olds). The winning drawings will be cut out of steel. These and ten runner ups will be displayed in the New Ashgate Gallery in October, simultaneously to the installation of the Farnham Sculpture in Waggon Yard.

The competition is open to all children up to 14 years of age, living or attending a school or a nursery in the Farnham postcode area. There are two categories: children up to 8 years and children from 9-14 years.

Drawings must depict a sculpture and to explore one or some of the topics below:

- Farnham heroes
- Oak leaf / tree / acorn
- Craft tools and/or techniques
- Any significant dates that are important to Farnham.

Please note that David may be using your drawing in the design of the Farnham Sculpture.

How to take part:

Please draw your artwork in a A4 paper and email a scan of it or post it in a hard envelope to David Mayne by 1 August: dpmayne@googlemail.com / Sculpture Lounge, Woodhead Road, Holmfirth, HD9 2PX.

Your email / drawing should include the following: Name of the artist, postcode (home/school/nursery), contact details: telephone number and email, age of the artist, a title of the drawing, if any.

If you would like us to return your drawing, visit the New Ashgate Gallery in the first week of November. Any uncollected drawings will be disposed after November. The winners will be announced on 17 August 2020 at: www.newashgate.org.uk/news

The Farnham Sculpture is part of the Craft Town project, supported by the Arts Council England. The Sculptural Imagination is a community crafts project by the New Ashgate Gallery, supported by the Farnham South Street Trust. David Mayne is a sculptor of national repute who produces work for galleries, public spaces and the domestic environment.

One Year On: Mitch Pilkington: Winner of Rising Stars 2019 (extended)

Mitch Pilkington, Two Pink Point Sculptural Vessels

7 March to 4 July 2020

One Year On: Mitch Pilkington: Winner of Rising Stars 2019 (extended)

Drawn to the organic, natural forms of coastal forays in her home of North Devon, and the worn, dry spirals of weathered conch shells, gathered on warm Caribbean beaches, Mitch communicates the sculptural qualities of these influences. Her ceramics are instinctively handformed in an emotionally intuitive and mindful process using methods such as coiling and pinching. Each piece, a vessel for her emotional journey. Working in grogged stoneware clay, with a palate of coastal shades, and using various stains, slips and oxides, she enhances the natural stone-like quality of the clay.

For Mitch, hand-building is what drives her passion to create her sculptural ceramics. The rhythmic, meditative and mindful process of coiling, and the many hours scraping and sculpting, provide her with the emotional salve to the stresses of life's everyday challenges. Each piece is an emotional response to the clay, hosting their calming solice.

Within her work, Mitch tries to create a haptic aesthetic that communicates a sense of calm, serenity and connection.

Rising Stars 2020

Hannah Staber, David

  • 3.Hannah Staber David

7 March to 4 July 2020

Rising Stars 2020

Rising Stars is a platform for some of the most exciting new crafts by emerging makers in crafts, design and applied arts. This curated, selling exhibition will be showcased at the New Ashgate Gallery and also include a programme of makers' professional development events and a £500 prize. The participants are graduating students, recent graduates or at a pivotal moment in their early career due to changed circumstances.

Many of the graduating makers are at cross roads: they have a full portfolio of fabulous ideas, but are yet to establish their business skills and a network of collectors. Rising Stars offers just the right platform, and for many, it is a starting point for an exceptional career. Rising Stars is an opportunity for both makers as well as art collectors who wish to support and collect work by future stars.

Following an open call with 97 applications, 26 makers of exceptional talent were selected by a panel of craft experts, Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery), Sharon Ting (University for the Creative Arts) and Debra Allman (UCA). They are Darren Ball, Sandy Buchanan, Niamh Duddy, Jack Durling, Fran Fell, Beth Gates, Rhiannon Gwyn, Faye Hall, Abeer Kayani, Joshua Kerley, Antigone Lentzos, Rebecca Oldfield, Archana Pathak, Rebecca Perry, Laura Plant, Irina Prolygina, Jane Sarre, Jane Sedgwick, Ralph Shuttleworth, Hannah Staber, Olivia Taylor, Hermione Thomson, Nikole Tursi, Claire Walton and Katie Watson.

Rising Stars is organised by the New Ashgate Gallery and supported by the Billmeir Charitable Trust. We work in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.

See the online catalogue at: catalogue

The Pastel Society

7 March to 4 July 2020

The Pastel Society

We are delighted to present new work by the members of the Pastel Society. Encouraging the use of pastel within the contemporary art world, the Society was founded in 1898. The members are professional artists living and working in this country and overseas. Membership is granted through a strict assessment of technical skill, originality, innovation and enthusiasm.

The exhibition will present new painting by Tony Allen, Victor Ambrus, Liz Bakwill, Matthew Draper and Jill Jeffrey.

Craft Town Public Art Commission: Public Voting to Select the Winning Proposal

Window by Manuela Kagerbauer

  • Manuela S Proposal Window

11 January to 29 February 2020

Craft Town Public Art Commission: Public Voting to Select the Winning Proposal

We are delighted to invite the local community to vote and select the winning proposal for a new Craft Town Public Art commission.

Proposals were invited during the autumn for a public sculpture / artwork that is inspired by the heritage and tradition of crafts in Farnham. The artwork will celebrate crafts that have been practised in the area during the Roman period: the district was known as a pottery centre due to its supply of gault clay, oak woodland for fuel and good communication links. Kilns dating as far as AD 100 have been found in the area. Today, Farnham hosts a remarkable number of major institutions and makers. The sculpture aims to enhance the public knowledge and understanding of the heritage while also bringing pleasure to the community and visitors alike.

The sculpture will be located next to a busy car park in the courtyard of the grade II listed building of the New Ashgate Gallery Trust in Waggon Yard.

The shortlisted artists are Walter Bailey, Manuela Kagerbauer and David Mayne and were selected by a panel with strong public art and sculpture expertise, including Charlotte Hall (Waverley Borough Council), Vikki Leedham (Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden), Sue Farrow (Farnham Public Art Trust), Sarah Carrington Hubbard (freelance public art consultant) and Dr Outi Remes (New Ashgate Gallery). We would also like to thank our craft town partners, Rebecca Skeels, Alison Clarke (Surrey Hill Arts) and Nicky Lawrence (University for the Creative Arts) for their support and advice.

The proposals will be exhibited at the New Ashgate Gallery from 11 January to 29 February and the public will be invited to vote and select the winning proposal - to be announced on 7 February. Also join us for presentations by the artists on 20 January, 2pm (free but booking is required).

The sculpture will be installed in October 2020 - during the craft month in Farnham.

The public art commission is supported by Arts Council England.

Madeleine Jude, New Ashgate Gallery Craft Prize at the Festival of Crafts, Jane Crisp and Judith Needham

Madeleine Jude, Monksbelt throw and cushions

1 October to 2 November 2019

Madeleine Jude, New Ashgate Gallery Craft Prize at the Festival of Crafts, Jane Crisp and Judith Needham

Madeleine Jude is a textile designer and handweaver known for her beautifully soft lambswool throws, cushions and home textiles, woven using complex block weave techniques.

Her designs are influenced by Scandinavian weaving traditions and her colour aesthetic has much in common with the beautiful and naturalistic colour palette of early 20th century Swedish women rug weavers such as Marta Maas-Fjetterstrom and Ingegerd Silow. Each of her designs is a celebration of her great love of colour and pattern and an exploration of new weave structures and design elements. Every piece is meticulously handwoven, hand fringed or blanket stitched and hand finished by Madeleine in her Surrey studio, and as a result every piece is unique.

The exhibition also includes best-selling, bespoke trugs by Jane Crisp's and fabulous baskets for cats by Judith Needham.

View work from the show

Surrey Artist of the Year 2019

Will Johns, Blonde on Green and Pink

  • Blonde On Green And Pink By Will Johns. Acrylic W 68cm X H 60cm

21 September to 2 November 2019

Surrey Artist of the Year 2019

The New Ashgate Gallery invites members of the public to come and vote for their favourite artist.

The Surrey Artist of the Year competition is a partnership between the New Ashgate and the Surrey Artists Open Studios to celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Surrey. Starting in 2009; this aspirational exhibition offers a collective of local quality arts and craft as voted for by the public during open studio visits. The top scoring artists come together for a programme of events. There is a wide variety of artworks on show, all offering different materials and techniques: painting, printmaking, glass, textiles and mixed media.

The shortlisted artists are: Clare Bowen, Orlanda Broom, Jennifer Court, Diana Croft, Clare Edworthy, Penny Fleet, Robyn Horsburgh, Christine Hopkins, David Johns, Will Johns, Julie Noles, Philip Ryland, Penny Webb, Pippa Ward and Abigail Wicking.

Again, during the exhibition, until 18th October, 12noon, members of the public are encouraged to vote for an artist; and the artist with the most votes from public and judging panel, is named Surrey Artist of the Year 2019 on 18th at 7pm. The winner receives a bursary of £1,000, a solo show at the New Ashgate Gallery and a complementary Winner's Stand at the Surrey Contemporary Art Fair.

View the exhibition catalogue at: catalogue
Buy the exhibition catalogue at: catalogue

The season includes workshops for adults, families and artists - please contact us for information.

The competition is organised in partnership with the Surrey Open Studios. It is supported by the Patricia Baines Trust and Contemporary Art Fairs. The Surrey Life magazine, which has a monthly section dedicated to the local art scene, is the official media partner of the competition.

View work from the show

REpurposed: Canvas Bag Design Competition - calling all young artists

24 June to 20 July 2019

REpurposed: Canvas Bag Design Competition - calling all young artists

New Ashgate Gallery has an exciting competition for young people coming up which relates to one of our current exhibitions; REPURPOSED. Repurposed is an exhibition showing art made from reused and recycled materials. As a part of the gallery's commitment to greener working we are running with support from Farnham's South Street Trust to run a Canvas Bag Design Competition. All artists of all abilities up to age 16 are free to enter and the winning design will be chosen on 20th July by a panel of judges. The winning design will be on a run of canvas bags for the gallery and the winning artist will receive credit on the bag plus a £25 New Ashgate Gallery Gift Voucher (great for treating your loved ones or to help buy some affordable gifts in our famous Christmas exhibitions).

We are also running a day of free family workshops on 13 July; more details to be announced via our website/Facebook and Instagram soon- so follow/like us to keep informed.

Diaspora

Dawn Beckles, I Can Feel It

15 June to 27 July 2019

Diaspora

This ground-breaking exhibition brings twenty artists and makers of African/Caribbean heritage to showcase their work, not previously seen in Farnham.

In relation to art, 'Diaspora' has been used to discuss artists who have migrated from one part of the world to another and who express their diverse experience of culture and identity in their work; often expressing alternative narratives, challenging ideas and structures of the art world.

The exhibition presents work by: Ade Adesina, Annie-Marie Akussah, Kwame Akpokavi, Lolonyo Amegayibor-Bunge, Darren Appiagyei, Dawn Beckles, Freya Bramble-Carter, Enam Gbewonyo, Atta Kwami, Wole Lagunju, Catherine Lucktaylor, Natalie Manima (Bespoke Binny), Jacqueline McFarlane, Rich Miller, Studio Nelle, Abe Odedina, Onome Otite, Mona Tabbicca, Robi Walters and Sharon Walters.

The exhibition is an exceptional opportunity to appreciate and collect work by these twenty artists who bring diverse and fresh narratives to the canon of art.

View work from the show

New Ashgate Gallery
Waggon Yard, Farnham GU9 7PS

gallery@newashgate.org.uk

Telephone: 01252 713208
Charity: 274326
Company: 1324906
VAT registration: 413979331

Art NPO of the Year 2023 - South England Prestige Awards
  • Farnham Craft Town
  • New Ashgate Gallery