29 April–24 May 2023
We are delighted to present a new show of paintings inspired by the experience of landscapes from Fiona Millais, with rock-glazed ceramic expressions of individual places from Matthew Blakely, and sculpture exploring the human condition by Neil Wood.
You are warmly invited to join us in the gallery to celebrate the opening of the exhibition on
Saturday 29th April from 10am to 5pm
The exhibition will then continue until Wednesday 24th May.
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Fiona Millais:
Fiona's paintings are mostly based on the landscape local to her in Surrey. Familiar surroundings of large areas of sand heath, woodland, and ponds which she has been immersed in provide a driving force for her paintings, but they are rarely directly representational. Fiona is intrigued by how landscapes are shaped, by ourselves and our ancestors, leaving traces, marks, and echoes. Working on several pieces at the same time allows Fiona to explore ideas in a series of paintings. Her canvasses are often painted and repainted so that traces of the original images remain present, creating layers of marks, colour, and interwoven history.
"I take inspiration from the places and objects that I love. I walk out every day, with the dog and often gather additional materials, so that stones, leaves, and feathers become visual reminders of my experience."
Fiona studied at the University of Newcastle and graduated with a degree in Fine Art in 1984 and has worked as an artist since. Her work can be found in private and public collections including the P&O Liner 'Arcadia' which commissioned her to produce 8 large works. Fiona is the great-granddaughter of the pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais.
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Matthew Blakely:
Matthew's work re-establishes the link between pottery and place. It is an artistic expression of the geology of the earth where pots represent our relationship with, and dependency on, the planet. Each piece is entirely created from rocks and clays from individual locations around the country. Provenance and time are fundamental. There are no shortcuts to this work; Matthew researches, collects, and prepares every material himself. It is a labour of love producing work that ultimately illustrates the ceramic and geological character of that place.
Matthew uses these materials as unrefined as possible, blending rocks from specific places to produce glazes that are entirely coloured and textured by the mineralogy of these locations. Every rock must be crushed, ground, and sieved with then countless tests to find the combination of rocks that create a beautiful glaze.
Matthew uses two thermally efficient kilns built next to open Cambridgeshire fields. The kilns are fuelled using local waste wood and are designed to produce as little smoke as possible, reducing the emission of pollutants. Matthew also minimises his impact by keeping his firings relatively short, relying instead on his expert material and wood firing knowledge to achieve his unique results.
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Neil Wood:
Neil Wood has been a professional sculptor and fine artist for three decades. Employing a Modernist methodology to explore the human condition in the 21st century, Neil uses the figure as a vehicle to experiment with materials and visual language. He attempts to express ideas about the world we inhabit and the nature of human experience and relationships.
Recent work explores social and political injustices inflicted on the underprivileged and displaced worldwide. By focusing on individual relationships, families, and children, Wood seeks to humanise and elicit an emotional response through the sculptural language. The coarse handling of the form, the textural qualities of the metals, and the patination are intended to suggest the harshness of the subject. The individual titles however, allow for an ambiguity of interpretation and are intended to create a dichotomous experience for the viewer.
Neil graduated from Wimbledon School of Art with a degree in Fine Art Sculpture in 1988. Since then, he has worked in education, as artist-in-residence, and as a visiting lecturer at institutions throughout the UK, alongside his practice producing sculpture for exhibition and public commissions.
