Jill James

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:44:37 +0100

Jill James combines precious metals and gem stones to create unique pieces of jewellery. She uses various techniques including fusing and forging to produce pieces inspired by ancient civilisations and reminiscent of archaeological artefacts. Her love of texture and colour developed over years as a textile designer.

Sugar pink tourmaline, icy green aquamarine and
misty violet sapphires demonstrate her interest in the qualities of uncut stones. It is the natural process of weathering and erosion that give these stones their unique appearance. Weathered fragments of sea glass are also incorporated into the pieces. Picked up on the shore line and worn smooth by the constant ebb and flow of the tide

‘You had only to enclose it in a rim of gold, or pierce it with a wire, and it became a jewel, part
of a necklace, or a dull, green light upon a finger‘ (Virginia Woolf)

Steph Black

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:25:16 +0100

Steph’s work is inspired by a fascination for eroded
surfaces together with the timeless qualities and subtle colours that age imparts on everything around us. She also admires the work of such wonderful artists as Turner, Tapies and Rothko together with the beautiful ceramics of Sebastian Blackie and Gabrielle Koch.

Her decorative work is thrown and fired in an electric kiln, each piece being individual and sometimes fired several times adding layers of glaze each time. Her pots are made with both stoneware and earthenware clays, often combined, this allows different glaze to body interaction resulting in subdued variations of surface colour and quality.

Emily Knight

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:25:10 +0100

Emily Knight is currently studying ‘Jewellery and Silversmithing’ at the Glasgow School of Art.

Throughout her time as a student she has always been interested in combining the playful quality between colour and pattern, whilst technically challenging herself to produce well made pieces of contemporary jewellery.

Emily feels that it is important for each piece
to be worn as the wearer wishes, to give the wearer this choice she explores the use of rivets for twisting and placing fastenings in a number of changeable places. Emily has won a placement at the Central
Academy For Art, Beijing.

September - December 2009.

Sarah Smith ‘Inner Stillness’

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:25:07 +0100

Sarah Smith is a sculptor working mainly in locally
sourced stone and clay. Her return to live in North
Yorkshire 4 years ago has seen a stronger influence of the natural landscape emerge in her work.

Sarah’s work is suitable for both internal and external space and often relates to her interest in the growth of human consciousness, what we hide - what is inside.

The influences of the sculptor Alan Thornhill and past modern masters such as Constantin Brancusi have helped shape Sarah’s thoughts on sculpture and how she pursues her ideas.

‘...the only true art will come from what you
find inside yourself.’ (Brancusi)

Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the UK, including The Orangery and Oxo Tower in London.

Eddie Curtis ‘Porcelain Jar with carved, flame scorched and burnished red pine handle’

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:25:00 +0100

Eddie Curtis employs simple shapes and undecorated surfaces but the intense and varied nature of the copper red glazes precludes his ceramics being regarded as austerely minimalist. He wishes his work to ‘whisper, not shout’.

All the work is wheel thrown, some altered, beaten
or planed at various stages of the drying process.
With his wife Margaret, who is also a potter, they built their own down draft oil fired Kiln. In the latter part of the firing stages, a reduction atmosphere is maintained in order to achieve the elusive and lucid copper red colours, creating works of a singular character.

Eddie has been awarded bursaries from the Arts
Council England to travel. Trips to Japan since 1999 have contributed enormously to the development of his work. He has exhibitied extensively throughout the world.
Recently Eddie has been exploring the possibilities
of stoneware, which is a much coarser and gritty
clay to work with. This is evoking different intensions.

“Here, manifested in clay, the very substance of
landscape itself were fractals of mountains,
crags & fissures”.