‘Burning Bright’ Winter Exhibition 2025
The Winter Exhibition 2025 at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge entitled ‘Burning Bright’ opens on Saturday November 8th with a dazzling collection of hand-picked, handmade delights! Give the High Street a miss this Christmas and shop for unique British made presents in the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the gallery.
Our festive line up features Lynda Jones’ mysterious canvases and drawings that are mostly depictions of the Monmouthshire landscape, and its rolling wooded hills, that surrounds her. The final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.
Textile artist Rachel Wright will be showing machine embroidery pictures. Studies of the landscapes and seascapes that inspire her are painstakingly translated into carefully cut and pieced fabric collages, lively and swirling with movement, overlaid with vibrant threads used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details, enabling Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch.
Back by popular demand is Helen Martino, who describes her own work as ‘serious, posh and frivolous’. Fascinated by body language, her ceramic sculptures embody a sense of narrative, where a still gesture captures a moment which suggests a past and a future story. Her pieces are hand built and surfaces are painted with slips, underglaze pigments and resists, often glinting with silver and gold lustres.
Jemima Jameson works mainly in acrylics, preferring to paint onto wooden panels, bowls and furniture. Her desire to paint and draw has been part of her whole life and is quite simply a celebration of the natural world that she is compelled to describe. Her wooden boxes and cabinets often serve as treasure chests for cherished keepsakes.
Tamsin Abbott’s stained glass panels are influenced by the natural world and its associated myths and legends. She tries to imbue her work with a sense of these magical qualities which connect humankind to the landscape while doing justice to the alchemical qualities of the glass itself.
Shropshire’s Duncan White’s keen appreciation of the history of English pottery underpins his remarkable and detailed work, his quirky pieces are flights of fancy that comment with wit and humour on issues of the day that preoccupy him. In addition to ceramic miniatures and decorative tiles, he also makes what he describes as three-dimensional cartoons in mixed media.
The creative urge turned Rachel Ricketts from the conservation of antiquities and fine art to her studio with the intention of painting, but inspiration to sculpt came along with her newly acquired English Toy Terrier who became her first, very wriggly, subject. Her extensive training did not encompass sculpture, in this she is entirely self-taught, her experience with materials and techniques, including patination processes, have proved invaluable as Rachel seeks to integrate the visual disciplines she enjoys.
New to the gallery is fused glass artist Natalie Thomas whose studio is set in a rural part of South Wales. Her work is original and individually designed with care, patience and dedication, to ensure she produces beautiful and unique glass artwork. Sarah Hill from Shropshire creates fused glass framed pieces that can be interpreted either as seascapes or landscapes! All beautifully presented and ready to hang. Her work is a combination of imagination, creativity, experience and alchemy.
To keep out the winter chill there will be a ‘must have’ collection of scarves, wraps, collars and bags in luxurious wools and silks, all desirable accessories for any wardrobe! Our wide range of textiles includes jackets, hats, gloves, cushions and throws. We will have new collections of jewellery by Tracey Birchwood, Rachel Bailey, Elizabeth Terzza, Marian Watson, Leoma Drew, Alison Varley, Gail Klevan and Rozie Keogh, whose magnificent angelic messenger in knitted wire with sequins hovers sparkling over the stairs. Gift wrapping service available.
The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday 11 – 4.30 and from 11 – 4 on Sundays.
