Festival Exhibition at Old Chapel Gallery to run during the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts 2019 opens on Sunday May 19 continuing to the end of June and features the work of talented British artists and makers from far and near.
Heading the line up will be a tempting collection of stained glass from ever popular artist Tamsin Abbott whose work is influenced by our ancient land and how we are connected to it: the hills, the woods, the plants, birds and animals that live alongside us and the world of myths and fairytales that we have spun around it.
Artist and jeweller Hannah Willow, whose inspiration comes from the land, wild and free places, stories and folklore, poetry, myth and legend, strives to capture the hidden memory held within the landscape and spark rememberings that will connect us back to our deepest roots when creating her silver jewellery and mixed media paintings. These magical artworks are embellished with 24 ct Gold Leaf. Her subjects include, owls, hares, badger and mermaids.
Textile collage artist Barbara Shaw creates original art using textiles to ‘paint’ with fabric. She is a self-taught artist, having started experimenting with fabrics after sewing patchwork quilts. Her work includes elements of both art and craft, reflecting her interest in Impressionist paintings and the process of handcrafting. For this exhibition Barbara has created collages based around Hay on Wye and the surrounding countryside.
Toff Milway has been a maker since childhood and has always tried to invent useful things. He creates salt glaze pots that are not only beautifully elegant, but are also highly functional. His own enjoyment of food makes him want his pots to inspire people to make good food, present it on or in interesting pots and to eat it in convivial company.
Ann Campbell’s work reflects her lifelong interest in animals. Without sentimentality but with acute observation based on empathy she represents animals and birds as archetypes of themselves. The sheep, birds, baboons, zebras and horses formed in Ann’s studio have a presence of playful solemnity, a gravitas and grace that derives from Ann’s experience and love of animals.
Artist Jackie Morris is famous for her illustrations in children books and more recently for the award-winning ‘The Lost Words’, in which she collaborated with Robert McFarlane, a collection of ‘spells’ with words from the natural world that the junior Oxford Dictionary had removed. Jackie studied at Hereford College of Arts and at Bath Academy.
Running concurrently is an ever-changing collection of unique garden sculptures to enhance your outdoor space in a variety of media such as stoneware, forged iron, iron resin, stone resin, stainless steel, glass and more including the work of several sculptors new to the gallery.
