New Craftsman Gallery: Neil Davies and Judy Buxton It would be easy to assume that artist Neil Davies would be familiar with every detail of the west Cornwall landscape. After all, he’s walked its fields, footpaths, and cliff paths many times over the years, making preparatory sketches for his well-known paintings. In 2020, though, Neil and his family acquired a puppy, Obi, a Border Beagle, who needed to be walked twice a day. Subsequently, the family got to know their immediate locality in greater detail then ever. They explored all footpaths, in all directions within a couple of miles of their home, taking time to notice the smaller details of the Penwith landscape. The result is a new collection of paintings, on display from 2nd-30th July at the New Craftsman Gallery, in Fore Street, St Ives. It’s an intimate study of nature on the artist’s doorstep, with a few jaunts further afield as Obi’s size and enthusiasm increased. “Walking at Obi’s pace, stopping, doubling back, pausing to chat to other dog owners, I have been forced to look more closely more often,” says Neil. “This new way of looking and noticing has resulted in a deeper understanding of and affection for my home turf, which I hope I have managed to convey in this collection of paintings.” Also on show are ceramics by Royal College of Art graduate Matthew Chambers. He is known for his distinctive work, in which layers of clay and colour enclose several layers, resulting in extraordinary sculptural forms. This new collection specifically explores the art-historical tradition of the Mandorla used in religious art, where two circles overlap to form an almond-shaped ‘aura’ surrounding a holy figure.
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From 6th August-3rd September, the gallery hosts a collection of oil-on-canvas works by award-winning painter Judy Buxton. Judy is a fine art graduate of both Falmouth College of Art and the Royal Academy Schools in London, and has been awarded the Sir Cyril Sweet Prize, the Royal Watercolour Prize, the Gold Medal from the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers, and The Hunting Art Prize. She lives and works on the Lizard Peninsula, where she draws inspiration for her landscape paintings from the area’s unique moorland, coast, and river. Other subjects include still life paintings of flowers, and dynamic equine paintings, which reflect Judy’s passion for horses. Deep texture, soft colours and the vigorous use of a palette knife are the defining characteristics of her work. The collection has a particular emphasis on roses, in response to the accompanying collection of ceramics by rising young artist Chloe Rosetta Bell. Chloe graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2019. With a special interest in using and transforming organic materials in her work, her objects are a physical record of the agricultural landscape and the livelihoods that depend upon it.
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