Four new artists to welcome in the New Year at Studio 3 at Clevedon Craft Centre. Jeweller Carol Trocchi remains until 28th January and felt artist Liz March until 1st February.
RACHAEL CAWLEY, ARTIST EXHIBITING FROM 14th JANUARY TO 11th MARCH 2023.
Rachael completed her M.A. in 2008, and her work was, at the time, concerned with Gothic Revivalism and Early Christian Iconography. This is no longer the case; she has taken a significant change of direction.
For nearly forty years, Rachel commuted to the ‘big city’, rarely having time to enjoy or participate in the local community. Besides escorting her son to daily sporting and social events, she mainly just prepped for her next day lecturing and slept.
After 25 years of teaching, Rachael returned to the University of the West of England to complete a Masters in Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking, gaining a Distinction.
Early retirement, caring for an elderly relative with dementia and finally allowing herself to own a dog and Covid changed everything for Rachael. She walked everywhere and saw buzzards, rabbits, otters and foxes…colours that changed with the seasons, winding pathways, lazy rivers, threatening skies and endless field patterns. Rather than glimpsing at these aspects of nature through a windscreen, she was seeing them first-hand; they inspired her thinking and were a catalyst for change.
Two years ago, Rachael pulled the large unfinished canvases off the back wall of her home studio and decided to paint uniquely what she had seen. Filled with trepidation, she started small. She transferred to plywood so she could sand it all back if it went wrong, which of course, it did initially.
Rachael was taught at “art school” that women’s artwork is invariably concerned with the domestic, which was decorative, illustrative and narrative. Pattern and colour were not considered high-brow in academic esteem.
Reaching sixty, Rachael no longer cared what academia thought of her.
Her work now is concerned with the layering of translucent colour and form built up over time to create ethereal and symbolic imagery. She uses paint, gold leaf, digital media and thread to achieve this.
Rachael currently has three series of work underway, “The Long Walk Home” is decorative, “The Hedgerow Series” is illustrative and “The Narrative Series” speaks for itself with the story behind every painting informing the composition and colour choices.
Rachael loves audio stories. Words become colours and patterns as she listens and paints. She does quite a lot of laughing and grumbling as she works.
Rachael’s work looks exquisite, and I can’t wait to see it.
If you’d like to know more about Rachael’s art before visiting Studio 3, you can check out her website here She’s also on Facebook here on Twitter here and on Instagram here
WOODNTHINGS EXHIBITING MIRRORS FROM 11th JANUARY TO 8th MARCH 2023.
Paul and Renate met, in 1979, in Bavaria, where Renate had grown up amid the strong tradition of Bavarian crafts, using natural materials to produce decorative objects for the home. Paul was working there as a cabinetmaker, antique restorer and musician. They decided to combine their skills and sell their work at Christkindl Markets. The products flew off the stand!
Paul, by then, had been in Europe for nearly ten years and decided it was time to return home to Somerset. Renate came with him.
Whilst he was looking for work as a cabinetmaker, they discovered the British craft scene and began selling their work at Craft Fairs. At that time, he was a member of the British Toymakers Guild, winning awards three years running.
Paul began to make his original and very unusual mirror designs, often using burr wood when it was obtainable; these have become so popular that he finds it hard to keep up with demand.
All mirrors are custom-made, and the design will vary depending on the wood available. Sizes range from 6 inches to over 5 feet in height, so please don’t hesitate to contact Paul with your required measurements. Prices range from £35 to £900.
If you’d like to know more about Paul’s work before visiting Studio 3, you can check out the website here. You can contact Paul here or by phone at 01934 835141
PIPPA DAVIE JEWELLER EXHIBITING FROM 28th JANUARY TO 22nd APRIL 2023.
For as long as she can remember, Pippa has always made and designed her own things, from a house aged five (complete with slide and bouncy castle room) to sewing her own clothes. She started silver-smithing at the beginning of 2014 and has never looked back. Most of the pieces she makes are with particular people in mind, although many of them seem to find their way into her jewellery box!
Pippa’s jewellery is handmade in Bristol, using combinations of silver, copper, brass, and gold, along with stones and enamels, to create something she might want to wear. Pippa is fascinated by the process of changing a piece of metal into something beautiful, watching the colours change when you heat it and deciding whether to polish it to a shine. She gets inspiration everywhere she goes, from the leaves on the trees to the shape of a window and a reflection in a puddle; nature always provides new ideas.
If you’d like to know more about Pippa’s work before visiting Studio 3, you can check it out here; she’s also on Instagram here If you’d like to talk to Pippa about a commission, this is her e-mail here.
BARRY STANSON POTTER EXHIBITING FROM 28th JANUARY TO 22nd APRIL 2023.
When Barry takes a moment to think back, his first introduction to pottery was watching the BBC interlude in the mid ’50s. He was mesmerised as he watched a pot being thrown on a wheel.
He was twenty-seven when he finally went to college to study ceramics, mainly focusing on throwing techniques.
Barry likes to produce a combination of both thrown and hand-built pieces, sometimes combining the two. He works primarily with white and red earthenware clay, which he decorates with coloured slips, predominantly using the three primary colours. He finds inspiration from all cultural media and complex and interesting objects that are all around him. He is always challenging himself to create traditional forms with a modern twist.
Barry has a creative mind and sees shapes and forms in most things drawing inspiration from almost anything. For example, a crumpled piece of paper can inspire him to produce a textured finish on a pot.
He is his biggest critic, always looking to find that elusive form and structure.
If you’d like to see more of Barry’s work before visiting the studio, you can check it out here and he’s on Instagram here; you can contact him here
If you’d like to know more about Studio 3 and the Craft Centre, the link is here, and these are the contact details: Studio 3, Clevedon Craft Centre, Clevedon, BS21 6TD Telephone: 07557331967 Email: studiothree111@gmail.com They are also on Instagram @ studiothree_gallery
A quick reminder of the opening times, which it’s worth mentioning are not the same as the Craft Centre: open Monday to Saturday from 10.00. a.m. to 5.00 pm and Sunday from 11.00. a.m. to 4.00. pm
Another wonderful blog about Studio3’s superb guest artists. Thank you Gabrielle for your continued support of Studio3 and I hope these wonderful artists are seen by lots of visitors. x