Danniella Wilde, Anemones

18 January to 5 September 2020

Craft Collection: Crafts with the Local Heart (extended)

Our specially selected collection of ceramics, jewellery and textiles: all items are beautifully hand-crafted by some of the UK's most talented designer-makers: they are perfect pieces for any home or to give as beautiful gifts if you can bear to part with them!

The makers include: Justine Allison, Sandy Buchanan, Theo Brooks, Holly Burton, Samantha English, Fran Fell, Beth Gates, Jaroslav Hrustalenko, Justine Jenner, Silvia K, Katherine Kingdon, Bérangère Noyau, Sarah Packington, Rebecca Perry, Mitch Pilkington, Alison Proctor, Laura Plant, Miranda Peckitt, Jacqui Ramrayka, Tamar Rose, Tiffany Scull, Carolyn Tripp, Clare Underwood, Vezzini & Chen, Claire Walton and Danniella Wilde.

View work from the show

Vicky Oldfield, Spotty Lashes

11 July to 5 September 2020

Vicky Oldfield: Flowers: the eccentric and ordinary

Mini Zoom Interview: Vicky Oldfield with Dr Outi Remes, Gallery Director

Vicky is an artist and printmaker who likes to find beauty in the everyday - some weeds on a road side, or a cluttered windowsill can set off a new collection. She treasures both the eccentric and the ordinary, inspired by collections of found objects and natural forms; she is fascinated with the structure and design found in flowers and plants, often redrawing the same plant many times over to explore the subtle variations in its form.

Vicky's still lives often incorporate seedpods, grasses, bottles and bowls collected on walking and sketching trips. Each piece tells a story using collage and drawing, referencing a memory, time or place.

She starts with drawing often directly on to the plate which is then drawn into and collaged with a variety of materials, card, fabric, paper, string, sand and anything else that may come to hand; it's recycling at its most creative! The plates are then sealed, inked up and printed in intaglio or relief on damp paper using an etching press. The embossed textural quality of the print is unique to this method. They are often printed in one colour and then hand painted.

Thanks to the process itself, Vicky is able to make small editions of the image; each edition will vary within its run due to the process itself and her desire to experiment. Each print produced is then unique.

After leaving school, Vicky attended Art College and then worked as a commercial designer in wallpaper and textiles in both London and Paris before becoming a full time artist in 2008. Her work has been exhibited in many major shows including the Royal Academy Summer exhibition and The Royal Society of British Artists, she has also exhibited in America and Japan.

View work from the show

Amanda Hoskin, Walking the Coast Path from Lamorna Cove, Cornwall, oil on paper

11 July to 5 September 2020

Amanda Hoskin: Expressions of Cornwall

Mini Zoom Interview: Amanda Hoskin with Dr Outi Remes, Gallery Director

The Cornish Amanda Hoskin portrays some of her favourite places in Cornwall, presenting eclectic paintings of beaches, clifftops, flowers, moorlands and woodlands that she has visited on her long walks. Using sketches created in-situ Amanda works on larger oil paintings in her studio.

She retains her emotional connection with the landscape while experimenting in the sketchbooks. Amanda recognises and reflects the richness in the English landscape that has inspired artists over the centuries.

View work from the show

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

8 August to 19 September 2020

Maker in Focus: Ellul Ceramics

Lisa Ellul 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 creates her unique hand built ceramic vessels, forms and botanical wall art from her studio in the beautiful Peak District. 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'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.

Lisa aims for her pieces to intrigue and fascinate the viewer.

Since setting up in 1997 Lisa have 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.

Fiona Pearce, Bourne Woods, 100 x 120cm

12 September to 7 November 2020

Fiona Pearce: Painting Farnham

The lead artist of our Painting Farnham season is Fiona Pearce whose work in the Foyer Gallery features her much loved Farnham landscapes, often depicting a unique but recognisable view of the Bourne Woods.

Born in Guildford, Fiona studied Art at what was then known as the West Surrey College of Art and Design here in Farnham. She works mainly in acrylic, applying thick layers with credit cards, fingers and occasionally a brush from her studio in Upper Farringdon.

Fiona's work is inspired by the beautiful local countryside where she walks daily with her dog. Her love of colours and use of space on the canvas is what excites her the most about painting.

Fiona's goal is to make her paintings come alive, using colours that bring her energy on to the canvas. She sees the world in a geometric format, breaking down images into shapes before translating that on to canvas.

John Bryce, Old Borelli's Yard

12 September to 7 November 2020

Painting Farnham

Our local landscape, the beautiful green countryside, has given us so much joy during the recent lockdown.

The Painting Farnham season celebrates Farnham, the historic market town, Craft Town and a World Craft City, nestled in the rolling Surrey Hills. It showcases new paintings and limited edition printwork by artists John Bryce, Jan Gaska, Susie Lidstone, Catherine Warren and Suzanne Winn, including both landscapes as well as historic town views of Farnham and the surrounding areas.

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.

Featuring new collections from the fourteen members, various influences are apparent in the diverse and exciting jewellery on show. From the Bauhaus inspired designs of An Alleweireldt, 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 with Ulli Kaiser, Bettina Starke and Li-Chu Wu 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.

David Mayne, The Farnham Sculpture, maquette

26 September to 7 November 2020

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

In October, we invite you to join us for the launch of the Farnham Sculpture, the new public art commission in Waggon Yard that celebrates the 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. The sculptures will be fabricated from steel, bronze and oak, after the bronze acorn is first modelled in clay. Imagery refers to the oak forests that surrounded Farnham. The project involves schools and the community in the design for a sense of shared ownership with the local community in the final artwork.

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.

David's interior sculpture will be showcased for a simultaneous special exhibition from 27 September to 7 November.

Chickpea textiles

26 September to 7 November 2020

Harriett Grist & Chickpea Textiles: The Festival of Crafts 2019 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.

Sarah Spackman, Little Apple Tree, oil on linen

Elliot Walker, Still Life

14 November 2020 to 9 January 2021

Sarah Spackman: Specific beauty

Sarah Spackman's work is distinguished by a strength of drawing, together with a delicate and subtle use of colour. Sarah has become particularly well known for her still-life paintings. She works in a quiet considered way applying the principle that good drawing is the basis of good painting. Sarah uses colour to enhance the organisation and definition of observed form. Sarah considers the setting up of a still life a crucial part of the process: focusing on the objects themselves, everyday objects that are often looked at but not seen, how they relate to each other and the space in which they sit. When painting Sarah pursues the development of these relationships through constantly looking, contemplating, redrawing and colour adjusting.

Sarah studied at Byam Shaw School of Art and Camberwell School of Art in 1970s and 80s and is now internationally recognised for her work. She won the Winsor and Newton Young Artists Award at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition is a member of the the Royal Society of British Artists. She is the winner of the Gordon Hulson Memorial Prize.

Sarah says: I am often inspired by the specific beauty of an organic form be it a nasturtium picked from the allotment or a particularly handsome fig at the market. My way of expressing my response to these objects is through drawing and painting.

Sarah's work will be shown with still live glass maestro Elliot Walker, associated with the London Glassblowing Studios.

Elliot is one of a handful of glassblowers in the world who focus solely on figurative sculpture. Sculpting in molten glass is known as the Messello technique, and working this way requires extreme dexterity, speed and precise temperature control. He chooses to sculpt in glass mainly for the material's immediacy and transparency and for the intensity of the sculpting experience.

Paula Reason, machine embroidery on quilted silk background

16 January to 6 March 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 is also accepting commissions for small to large-scale site-specific artwork for the home, commercial spaces and museum and gallery exhibits. She also offers architectural and interior design services. Contact the gallery for further information.

Pete Jackman, Vestjardavegur, pastel on paper

Peter Hayes, Disc with blue wave

16 January to 6 March 2021

Pete Jackman: Icelandic Horizons with Sculpture by Peter Hayes

Pete Jackman explores landscapes and objects within the landscape in a semi abstract form.

The Icelandic landscape has a pristine, raw and dynamic quality, looking brand new and ancient at the same time. It is physically and visually challenging and this informs Pete's mark making and colour palette.

Pete's recent work is mostly concerned with the horizon; this is the dominant feature of the Icelandic landscape where the views to the horizon are not interrupted by small scale features such as trees buildings, this distance has the effect of making the impression of the landscape something unapproachable and removed. In contrast, and in a sense of relief, other work is more concerned with the small-scale forms of boulders, pebbles & vegetation.

This work represents Pete's interpretation and reactions to particular places and forms within the landscape. It is developed from sketches, photographs and memories, which through stages of drawings and over drawing using layers or various media tend to become more abstract as the work evolves. As each piece progresses the work becomes its own reference, where the original source image may just be represented in the form of a particular shape, texture or colour.

The drawings are created with layers of graphite, soft pastels, and chalks, these layers may then be cut through to expose earlier marks, with further overdrawing and colouring to create a more complex surface, a similar process of layering is also involved in the paintings, but due to the medium the emphasis is on overpainting and glazes.

Pete's paintings will be presented with master ceramist Peter Hayes, known for his timeless, distinctive style that stems from Raku firing and the way which he submerges his sculptures in the flowing river beside his studio, or sends them to Cornwall to be washed in the sea for months at a time. The water washes minerals such as copper and metal oxides into the basic white clay with which Hayes works, creating a characteristic green-blue "blush" in his sculptures along with random elements that make every piece unique. Hayes' work is then finished by waxing and polishing.

Laura McKinley, Imagine V, photo A. Cotterill

Bruce Marks, Yellow Grey Birds, photo: A. Cotterill

24 April to 5 June 2021

Exceptional talent from the London Glassblowing Studios

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:

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.

24 April to 5 June 2021

Peter Layton: Maker in Focus (rescheduled dates)

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.

The London Glassblowing studio has nurtured and produced some of the world's leading glass artists and continues to do so to this day. This is thanks to an open door policy extending to artists, collectors and the curious public who wander into the Bermondsey Street gallery and studio. Here they will find the energetic octogenarian in jeans and trainers bouncing between his family of resident artists, advising, collaborating and teaching, while producing his own unmistakable work.

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 London Glassblowing Workshop in an old towage works on the Thames at Rotherhithe. Here he used to dangle his feet over the flood wall and take inspiration from the flowing river.

Glassblowing is an expensive business, new equipment, materials and energy bills required working with other artists. He was joined by Charles Ramsay, drawing in names such as Norman Stuart Clarke and Siddy Langley. This created not just financial returns but a collaborative space for the exchange of ideas, the incubation of artists, and the development of new techniques. This ethos has endured through two relocations along London's Southbank to the workshop's current premises on Bermondsey Street.

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.