Tel / Fax (023) 8046 2723 anytime E-mail
Web www.thefirstgallery.co.uk Director: H. Margery Clarke B.A. (Hons.) F.R.S.A. Member of T.E.G.
In Margery's absence (until November) please ring Paul Clarke on (01489) 891869 before trying the Gallery. Thanks
Most immediately, at The Garden Galley, near Stockbridge, you can see recent work by the Danish potter & sculptor Lotte Glob, who lives on the far northern coast of Scotland. Apart from being surely her largest showing in England by far (some 100 works) it's also an opportunity — I believe for the first time anywhere in the UK — to see her uniquely conceived Books of the Land. We saw the first exploratory forays into these extraordinary artistic achievements when we last visited Lotte in May 2000; at the time she was too close to the 'birth-pangs' of their creation to be able to let us take any away for exhibition. All made of ceramic and — again, seemingly her own development — actual rocks fused into it during firing, they are mostly large, by book-standards, but have a cover, spine and 'pages'. While they can't be read as a normal book, you can tantalisingly almost see into them, where the leaves are not flat. Her work always progresses in thought-provoking new directions, and — having seen it at the PV — I can thoroughly recommend it. Lotte's move away from domestic ware, along more sculptural avenues, is reflected in The Garden Gallery show.
Rachel Bebb, the garden-designer who runs the gallery, has long and often exchanged helpful advice — and (as in Lotte's case) exhibitors — with us (in fact, one of our newcomers in Flights of Fancy comes via her recommendation). A visit to her delightfully intriguing garden is a worthwhile pleasure in any event. Rachel's article on Lotte's work appears in the Oct. issue of Gardens Illustrated, to be published on Sept.17th.
The Garden Galley, Rookery Lane, Broughton, Stockbridge (01794) 301144
17th September - 26th October Sats., Tues. & Thurs. 10 - 5 or by arrangement.
The next 'plug' is a bit further away! Allan Bennett made such an impact in our Sculpture Garden exhibitions that he was invited to have a solo show, Second Visions, at Ramsgate Library, Kent. (He's a busy man, as he's supplied a major piece for Flights of Fancy, too!) Many of you will recall his witty takes on discarded items: old garden tools turned into birds or monstrous insects; or chains, locks and keys transmogrified into a prying Neighbourhood Watch member! The gallery, where Margery had a successful retrospective last summer, is a lovely space. Allan's creations should be a great addition and worth the fairly extended journey. Having been there for three weeks in April, Margery can't stop enthusing about Ramsgate (she's even joined the town's Appreciation Society!) and has mooted a return trip there next year.
Library Gallery, Guildford Lawn, Ramsgate (01843) 593532
12th October - 23rd November Mon-Thu. 9.30-6, Fri. 9.30-7, Sat 9.30-5.
I note from the last Newsletter that I'm due to tell you about our 2003 programme (as so far fixed). Exceptionally for us, we're looking backwards twice: from 15th March (tbc) into April we'll be showing a substantial body of paintings by the late Richard Eurich RA (1903 - 92) in conjunction with the Millais Gallery (at Southampton Institute) and (again, tbc) other Hampshire venues. If confirmed, the Preview evening will fall on his birthday. Our connection with the Eurichs began in 1987 when, in tandem with drawings by L.S. Lowry under the banner Two Memorable Men, we exhibited some photographs by Richard's late son Crispin (1936 - 76). Margery considers Crispin's famous Lowry portrait (then apparently the only touchpoint between them) the most insightful ever reproduced. In early 2000, the Gallery was entrusted with the archive of his prints and negatives. Links with the family continue through Richard's daughters: Philippa Bambach's paintings are seen here regularly, most notably in her solo show Out of the Shadows (1999).
2003 also sees the 150th birth-anniversary of the architect and painter Arthur Mattinson (1853 - 1932). He drew and painted for most of his life, apparently for his own pleasure and with little mind to exhibiting. Though no innovator, artistically or architecturally (the practice he worked for was abreast, but not ahead, of its time) his watercolours make for a rare chance to see a promising mid-Victorian architect exploring the fringes of various current (and passé) creative movements of his era. We put together this former touring exhibition in 1994, to mark the centenary of Blackpool Tower, which it is believed he designed. To exhibit the full show (of some 110 exhibits) it may have to be done in two stages: until now, time and space have always precluded our displaying it all. Look out for it round about early Autumn 2003 (exact dates tbc).
Some background and updates about Flights of Fancy: this is my first effort at curating a show without any back-up (giving me more respect than ever for those who do it as a job!!) Read about each maker on the seperate Exhibitor List, which may be suggestive of a large-scale show, though many will be showing just one or two items. I'm hoping to find some space for a display of paintings by Alan Wilson to mark his 80th birthday, which falls this year. Though now in Cornwall, while living in Hampshire he was a longtime and enthusiastic supporter in our early days, and no mean painter, to boot. About 20 bird-prints have arrived from Tony Évora, being the first time his work will have been seen in the UK since 1988! Chris Williams won a Specially Commended award in Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2001, and is showing some of his images here, also for the first time. Most of these are of insects, which he photographs without recourse to specialist equipment.
"It looks so different" was a frequent comment from amazed regular visitors (who eventually got so used to the fact that we'd change the place round each time that they ceased to remark!) 25+ years on, it remains a challenge to arrange it to look new, but some of the work from another débutante, Elizabeth Nash will certainly achieve that! She works in too many media to define her in those terms, but (perhaps) she's mainly a printmaker with many facets. As I type, the first batch of her work is already here to trial-hang, including an 8' or 9' (#@&$^!% big, anyway!) painted silk drape, which should make a stunning impact.
Some regular customer-friends are lending work from their collection, so there will be sculptures of hornbills and another bird-related pot by Alvin Betteridge. In a recent letter, Alvin wrote that he couldn't recall the pots inspired by flight (which, for me, had been the 'spark' for the whole show) but "they might rekindle some worthwhile ideas": well they might, so "watch this space" (though not this time).
I also promised to fill you in about Margery's Awfully Big Adventure. Three weeks in Ramsgate may sound like breaking herself in gently, before the rigours of the Arctic temperatures, but in fact it was so windy it was almost ten days before she got out drawing! However, it was time well-spent, winding down and getting her bearings, which was partly the point of her being there. She's well sold on the place, too: in the fortnight between her coming back and going off on the Norwegian Coastal Voyage, she managed to "lay in"* more than 20 paintings. After Norway, she set down another 25 or so, and some are already finished and signed! (These were from a 21-day and a 17-day trip respectively. Bangkok, Australia & New Zealand covers about 90 days in total. Autumn 2004 is pencilled in for showing the fruits of her Sabbatical Year, which at this rate will consist of about 120 pictures. Help!!! We'll need to hire Tate Modern!!!)
Margery left for Down Under on 1st August, secure in the belief that the Norwegian Arctic would prove the highlight of her travelling year ("Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef... (yawn) seen so many pictures of them that there'll be no element of surprise, or the atmosphere won't be as I expected"). As it's turning out, she's so bowled over by Ayers Rock, the Olgas, etc., ETC., ETC. that her head's full of images already, only about quarter of her way through her trip! (She sketches only minimally, and doesn't use a camera, so she has to commit what she sees to memory). The only yawning has been from too many early mornings to catch the sunrise, or to go on long trips before it gets too hot! Already, five boxes have arrived here, full of ethnic craft goodies for the Xmas show, plus a colourful flapping parrot mobile that I've appropriated for Flights... To cite the end of her last airmail, "Aboriginal Art very interesting but had better not get launched on that" (I think she means describing it, not buying it). so, start licking yer slobberin' chops over the Xmas Show!
Meanwhile, see you at Flights of Fancy.
PAUL CLARKE
* "laying in" may be Margery's term, or it may be more widely understood: she uses it to describe the process of applying the broad outlines / shapes of a painting (often in white paint on a white ground, but the brush strokes still show up) in order to 'fix' the image, so it can be returned to at a later date. Otherwise, the images in her head get lost. Although the outline is only basic, it's sufficient to trigger visual recall of the event or scene that prompted it. Despite painting for 60 years, this is the first time (by necessity) she's done a large body of work in this 'high-speed' manner.