Whilst the weather continues to be up and down and Spring is as always somewhat unpredictable, we can say confidently that we continue to be consistent in our intent to show high quality and distinctive artists and makers. The two ceramicists this month have very different approaches providing interesting contrasts. One of them – Andrew Walker –  is new to Bevere Gallery and we are pleased to see his work here. The other – Sarah Jenkins  – has shown with us before and has an entirely original approach which made an impact on us last time.

Sarah Jenkins made an early attempt describe the whys and wherefores of her work…..From her studio in a shallow dip of rolling farmland, she witnessed the enduring landscape exposed to the weather, the changing seasons, and passing of the sun. She glimpsed the progress of wild creatures in the margins and pondered on the various traces of human life. She now finds her work is more abstracted, more internalised. With each piece she is on a quest for the right resonating frequency, something human, something describing nature and the rightness of it. A kind of truth. Her work is fascinating and we are certain will generate much interest. Her monochrome colours and sgraffito decoration certainly give each of her pieces great presence.

Andrew Walker is exhibiting at Bevere for the first time. He is an experienced ceramic artist creating contemporary pottery. After completing a textiles design degree and working with the interiors styling industry, Andrew ventured back into his love of clay 25 years later. His work is mainly hand-built ceramic stoneware vessels starting out as rolled slabs of black and specialist clay. Inspired by the industrial landscape, he takes a simple approach to design and form, often combining geometrical shapes to construct vessels that bridge the gap between functional and sculptural.  Given his background in art and design it is evident that his accumulated experience is expressed in his original work.

We also have a new body of work from each of two more new faces to Bevere…

Justine Jenner. Colour and making functional items has always been her preoccupation, ever since she was a child.  Using white, earthenware clay, she seeks to throw beautiful pots that function well, are comfortable and tactile to hold and whose form and colours add beauty and grace to a home – whether it be a jug on the kitchen table or a vase on a sunny windowsill. Through the interplay of colour on each pot, she seeks to explore its potential for harmony and dissonance in terms of proportion, shade and  interaction with the ceramic form.

Ruth van Loen. Her work is very different from any other you will have seen, it combines wheel thrown forms with hand-built techniques, which give texture and movement to her very individual pieces.

Our Featured Printmaker is Julia Timmins. Julia was born in Wolverhampton and now lives in rural Shropshire, she trained as a jeweller and worked for many years as a jewellery designer and production director in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. She uses the skills and attention to detail developed by working with jewellery in her wood engravings.