Paintings Prints Sculpture Glass Textiles Jewellery Ceramics Cards

Once again for the Christmas season The Gallery presented a collection of interesting and attractive artworks which would be a joy to give or to receive. The exhibition included a wide variety of crafts as well as paintings, prints and sculpture by many of the most talented artists in the surrounding area.

Several artists showed their work in The Gallery for the first time in this exhibition.

New to The Gallery this year were vessels by Jeremy Nichols, who uses skills learned as an aeronautical engineer to craft his pottery which then acquires a surface of varying colour and texture from salt firing.

Margaret Gardiner again exhibited salt glazed ware with rich decoration and a lustrous finish. Aila Simpson and her colleagues, who have a studio here, showed colourful and varied earthenware pieces.

Parndon Mill jewellers, Rita Lampen and Barbara Martin, were joined this year by Louise Shotter exhibiting new designs and Jessica Meredith who showed Jessnetically Modified Jewellery in silver.

There was another opportunity to see Clarissa Cochrane’s seascapes in textile and indigo, Lucie Pritchard’s textiles decorated with printed matter taken from old postcards and diaries and dyed. Hand dyed and painted silks by Anne Reilly and Linda Gifford.

Painters new to The Gallery were Sue Walker, Gillian Mackenna, Alice Smith and Jane Davalle. Many artists, whose work will be familiar to regular visitors, showed new paintings, prints and sculpture.

As in previous years many different materials, methods and ideas were used to create the exhibits chosen to be pleasure to look at, to possess or to give as very special presents.