Hay Festival Exhibition @ Old Chapel Gallery 2022

Hay Festival Exhibition @ Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge, to run during Hay Festival 2022 will open on Saturday May 21 and continue to the end of June. Featuring the work of talented British artists and makers from far and near.

Lynda Jones

Heading the line up is artist Lynda Jones, who was born in Sunderland in 1970, settling in Monmouth in the early 1980’s, where she has lived ever since. She studied Art Foundation at Newport College of Art & Design, followed by a degree in Visual Art at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

She worked for a number of years in a non art related business, always painting in her spare time. In 2007 she finally gave up her day job and started painting full time.

Her canvases are mostly depictions of landscapes in the Monmouth area – 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. 

Joanna Griffiths

Former graphic designer Joanna Griffiths studied at the London College of Printing  and had a successful and long career in commercial art. She now paints full time. Her pastel artworks capture the hills, moors and farmland of the Welsh Marches. Depicting all seasons Joanna often only walks a short distance to study the subjects she loves. Her daily walks she describes as her ‘absorption time’ – “I breathe it in every day, sun, rain, sleet it doesn’t matter – I never tire of seeing the same vistas, trees, hedgerows and livestock which change constantly. My focus centers around one hill and one farm near to where I live”

Mary Ann Rogers

Northumberland-based artist, Mary Ann Rogers, paints vibrant watercolour paintings full of energy, from an in-depth knowledge of her subject matter. Her studio is surrounded by the wild hills of Northumberland, whose inhabitants, along with her own menagerie of birds, feature in her work. Mary Ann’s work is highly collectable.

‘For artist, Mary Ann Rogers, receiving the coveted award for ‘Best Selling Published Artist 2009’ is a huge accolade. To follow in the footsteps of former recipients of the award, Jack Vettriano, Beryl Cook and David Shepherd is one thing, but for Mary Ann Rogers, the only self-publishing artist, to have received this award without the full might of a large fine art publishing house behind her is a remarkable achievement.’

“The quick and lively work of Mary Ann Rogers is a real treat… her animals are depicted with a spine-tingling and inspiring virtuosity… she achieves a sense of oriental delicacy of touch which defies description.”

We have a large collection of Mary Ann’s limited edition prints in stock too.

Josie Walter Ceramics

Josie makes tableware and cooking pots in earthenware clay, which are decorated with slips and coloured glazes. Most of the pots are thrown on a traditional momentum wheel, even though many of the finished shapes are oval or rectangular. ​

After a degree in Anthropology at University College, London, Josie went to Leicester University where she trained to be a secondary school teacher. Josie taught for four years in schools in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, before she began working with clay. What started out as evening class diversion became a real passion and in 1976 she enrolled on the Studio Ceramics course at Chesterfield College of Art. After three years of throwing, building kilns, visiting potters and generally being immersed in pottery, Josie opened a workshop in Matlock with a fellow student at Chesterfield, John Gibson.

Josie soon realised that she needed further experience in production throwing and running a business, so spotting an advert in Ceramic Review magazine, she applied for a job working for Suzie and Nigel Atkins at the Poterie du Don in the Auvergne, France. Josie worked at Le Don as an apprentice for 6 months in 1980 making salt glazed domestic ware, then returned to the workshop in Matlock where she made once fired decorated earthenware pottery.

Simon Rich Ceramics

Simon had such a strong interest in pottery at an early age that he started when fifteen years old, to teach the craft to his fellow pupils at school.

Upon leaving school, he looked for an outlet for his creative talents and joined the studio of the famous Alan Caiger-Smith at the Aldermarston Pottery. He remained there for five years before establishing himself with a series of exhibitions and shows.

Simon is primarily concerned with creating pleasing shapes and forms. He conjures up images in his mind and turns them over and over until they are ready to be brought into being. He likes to explore the full potential of any one shape, developing it and endeavouring to expand on its creative potential as much as possible. He stops short of extremes, however, as his aim is to create pottery of classical and harmonious beauty.

Ali Tregaskes Silver Jewellery

Ali is a contemporary jewellery designer/maker, based in Herefordshire and originally from Cornwall. Ali decided in 2004 to study at Hereford College of Art as a mature student; fulfilling a long awaited passion to work with metal. She started with metal sculpture, slowly scaling things down over the years and now creating jewellery, which still retains a sculptural quality to it.

Ali works in a lovely workshop in Herefordshire, with other designer makers around her, she specialises in etched and oxidised silver jewellery, using occasional accents of 18ct gold.  Combining her love of photography with her metal work, Ali uses her images of nature, architecture and coast to create the etchings. The silver etching has largely been self-taught. Other  techniques Ali employs include oxidising, saw piercing, soldering and granulation.

Rachel Bailey Jewellery

Our Garden Sculpture Exhibition ‘Shadows on the Grass’ continues through the year with new pieces frequently added.