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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. 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.

WHAT’S ON

Weekly Markets

Tuesdays 9:30am-3:30pm - Collectables Market

– Stalls include jewellery, books, coins, stamps, postcards and other bric-a-brac & curios.

Wednesdays 10am-4pm - Artisan Market - Makers, artists, bakers and crafts people showcasing the very best of Cornish small business creativity.

Thursdays 9:30am-2pm - Farmers Market – A wide range of local produce, food and drink stalls & quality crafts. Live Music

Saturday 2nd July - 7pm – Budapest Café Orchestra – A blistering barrage of folk and gypsy-flavoured music from the impeccably formed four-piece orchestra.

Saturday 13th August – 8pm – Shackup DJs Present

Aquafunk – Shackup DJs will be spinning the best underground sounds. A set packed with new & classic funk, soul, disco, house & Latin tunes.

Friday 26th August – 8pm - The Scribes – A night of live hip-hop from the multi-award winning Scribes with special guests, raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Saturday 27th August – 7:30pm - Very Santana – The West Midlands based tribute band present a live experience spanning the entire musical Santana legacy.

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Tate St Ives: Biosfera Peluche

Wandering around the new Ad Minoliti exhibition at Tate St Ives, one wonders what sort of fevered, frenzied mind has come up with this kaleidoscope of primary colours, surreal ideas, and varieties of style.

And then one meets the artist, a petite, 42-year-old, quietly spoken Argentinian artist who talks through the logic of the show in measured, yet assured tones.

Biosfera Peluche (Biosphere Plush in English) is modelled against late 20th century experiments that explored whether humans could sustain life in environments such as space stations. These projects aimed to generate data and information that could be used to occupy and profit from other planets.

Minoliti’s biosphere overturns the colonial and capitalist ideas behind these social and scientific ventures. Instead of operating on exclusion and profit, Minoliti’s version values all identities, experiences, and even abstract forms. In Biosgera Peluche, machines and humans co-create artwork, and colour and shape are applied to reform architecture or deconstruct gender roles.

Above all, the exhibition, which transferred from its original venue, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, in Gateshead, is very immersive. Seats, cubby holes, and soft bean-bags abound. There is a library with gay and feminist literature abounding. Pick up a book or magazine and find a spot to sit and read.

Don’t think this is a fringe attraction. It’s not. It’s very inclusive and in terms of style there’s something for all tastes, from fine art to abstract, floor-to-ceiling colour, 2D and 3D perspectives. And sometimes disorientating bursts of colour. Look out, too, for the Furries – trans-species dressed creatures dotted throughout the show, challenging our perceptions and divisions between male and female, terrestrial and alien, biology and technology, and art and everyday life.

Biosfera Peluche by Ad Minoliti runs at Tate St Ives until 30th October. Find out more at tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/

What’s on

Tate St Ives

© Ian Kingsnorth

Ad Minoliti Biosfera Peluche / Biosphere Plush installed at Tate St Ives, 2022. Photo © Tate (Joe Humphrys & Lucy Dawkins)

Super Sunday Sunday 26 June 11.00–15.00

It’s gallery takeover time for families! Get creative at our Super Sunday family festival inspired by Ad Minoliti’s exciting exhibition at Tate St Ives.

Please book your timed admission ticket in advance https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives

Beach workshops Every Wednesday & Friday in August

Explore the beach and get creative. Join us in August as we make art outdoors, inspired by the wonderful artists and magical stories of Porthmeor Beach.

£4.50 per child. Suitable for ages 5-12. All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/beach-art-explorers

Ad Minoliti Until 30 Oct 2022

Experience Ad Minoliti's bold geometric paintings, playful faces and floor to ceiling colour, transforming the gallery into a futuristic environment. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/ad-minoliti

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and Jonathan Michael Ray Until 2 Oct 2022

An exhibition bringing together two artists connected with West Cornwall. Both draw inspiration from the local landscape, exploring the idea that there is more to experience in nature than can be found on the surface. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/wilhelmina-barns-graham-and-jonathan-michael-ray

Get your £5 Locals’ Pass!

Cornwall residents get unlimited year-round entry to Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden for just £5 https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/tate-st-ives -locals-pass

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