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MAC | RAGS: Artists who share a love of St Ives
When seven artists who met at St Ives School of Painting formed a collective prior to staging their first exhibition, they decided to call it MAC | RAGS – a combination of the first letter of each of their first names.
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The seven – Mary Scott, Andrew Rothwell, Claire Norton, Rosanna Gardner, Anna Clarke, Gwynne Perry, and Sue Emms – were all part of the Porthmeor Programme at the School of Painting in 2020. They lived in different parts of the country, but came together for regular weekends in St Ives.
MAC | RAGS was a name which not only represented each artist, but also captured their experiences as a group. ”On one of the weekends we were together, it was very wet and we had to wear macs,” said Gwynne Penny. “And some of us paint with rags!”
The pandemic delayed the start of the programme by five months, and several weekends had to be postponed – but as Rosanna points out: “The silver lining was that we completed the programme over fifteen months rather than 10, which enabled us to get to know each other more deeply in the exploration of our art practices.”
Gwynne added: “There were times when we nearly got blown away in the harbour, and times when we had socially-distanced fish and chips on the beach. It all helped to forge a bond between us.”
In April, the MAC | RAGS art collective presented its first exhibition, Breathing Space, at the Crypt Gallery. It was curated by Greg Humphries, environmental artist and course tutor at St Ives School of Painting. “We are grateful to the School of Painting for giving us the opportunity to undertake the Porthmeor Programme, and to the tutors who inspired us along the way,” said Rosanna. from the attic studio of her home in north London, and the great horizons where the sea meets the sky in St Ives. During lockdown, she felt drawn to paint the pigeons on the roofs of the buildings near her studio: “I had to try and capture them before they took off!”
Gwynne’s work is inspired by the shoreline and the objects she discovers there – seaweed, bits of fishing net and even plastic – which she captures in her paintings, sketches, prints, sculptures and photographs.
Anna took voluntary redundancy from a senior position in the fashion industry shortly before she joined the Porthmeor Programme. “I wanted to follow my passion for art and find my creative voice. Coming from a textile background, I love texture, pattern and colour.”
Mary, a geologist, is drawn to the shapes of the boulders on the coast path between St Ives and Zennor; sports massage therapist and keen surfer Claire explores the shapes of waves in her oil paintings; Andrew paints portraits of both real and imaginary people; and Sue creates abstract pieces of art using charcoal and ink, as well as acrylics, oils and pastels.
“The exhibition was a celebration of our time together,” said Rosanna. “We discovered that, while each of us has our own distinct identity and artistic practice, collectively we share a love of St Ives. The town has been the lynchpin of our work.”
She describes her paintings as a response to two contrasting places – the city skyline view Follow MAC | RAGS on Instagram: @mac_rags
Biosfera Peluche / Biosphere Plush installed at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, 2021-2. Photo © Rob Harris 2021
What’s on
Tate St Ives
Ad Minoliti: Biosfera Peluche / Biosphere Plush 28 May – 30 Oct 2022
Experience Ad Minoliti's bold geometric paintings, playful faces and floor to ceiling colour, transforming the gallery into a futuristic environment.
Artists In Conversation Saturday 28 May
Exhibiting artists, in conversation with Tate St Ives sta , on the day of the opening of their new exhibitions. These events are BSL interpreted.
Jonathan Michael Ray - 12pm
In conversation with Assistant Curator, Giles Jackson.
Ad Minoliti - 2pm
In conversation with Tate St Ives Director, Anne Barlow.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and Jonathan Michael Ray 28 May – 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.
Toddle Tate 10 May, 14 June, 12 July, 13 Sept, 11 Oct 2022
Play, explore, create and investigate art in these fun sessions for under 5s and their grown-ups.
Tate Create 28 May – 5 June 11.00 – 15.00
Get hands on this holiday and create art inspired by Ad Minoliti’s colourful and geometric paintings.
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New Craftsman Gallery: The first chapters – and the last
Landscapes by rising young painter Sarah Woods and the last ever collection by textile artist Jason Collingwood are on display at New Craftsman Gallery this spring.
Sarah’s work responds uniquely and subjectively to the West Cornwall landscape, capturing its tranquil beauty and pure northern light with a rare and calming simplicity.
Her new work reflects the soft shades of sea and sky along the St Ives coastline at its quietest time of year – with the blues of early spring warmth in the air, and the shifting, milky tones of evening light across the water. The natural textures of oil paint and linen canvas add to the surface detail of each work, and Sarah’s focus is always on the process of painting, on the wide stroke of arm and brush on canvas, which results in beautiful, spacious works defined by simple coastal shapes.
Jason’s show, Chapters, marks the end of his 30-year career as a rug maker. Showing alongside him at New Craftsman is his wife and fellow artist Akiko Hirai, whose decorative Moon Jars and functional tableware fuse Japanese and British ceramic traditions.
Jason Collingwood: Handwoven Black and White Geometric Rug
Closing this chapter in Jason’s life, this special collection of hand-woven rugs demonstrates the artist’s talent for creating striking and technically complicated geometric designs. Over the last three decades, Jason has rarely exhibited, but has woven more than 2,000 rugs by commission for private clients, architects, and interior designers, including a series of 24 rugs for the Sheraton Hotel in Dar-es Salaam,
Akiko Hirai: Moon Jar
Tanzania, and a collection of rugs for a castle in Switzerland. Each rug is entirely unique, woven by hand on the loom using a block weave structure in a palette of powerful colours.
Japanese-born Akiko studied ceramics at the University of Sarah Woods: Early Light, Westminster and Porthmeor Central St Martins, London. To complement Jason’s rugs, she has created 12 Moon Jars, which change appearance throughout the series in reflection of the lunar cycle, and the circular completion of her husband’s successful career as a weaver. She has achieved subtle changes in each work by alternating her kiln atmosphere when firing, and allowing varying amounts of impurity in the clay that affect the surface detail of each work. The exhibition also includes a collection of Akiko’s functional tableware, which demonstrates her distinctive use of dark clay enhanced by a veil of white glaze.
Sarah Woods: Spring Collection, 7th to 21st May Chapters: 27th May to 25th June For further information, contact New Craftsman Gallery, 24 Fore St, St Ives.
St Ives Museum
by Andy Smith, Curator of St Ives Museum
St Ives Museum is a treasure trove of items and written material which tell much of the story of our town. We have a large, diverse collection of objects, paintings and photographs, covering all aspects of the past life of St Ives, including fishing and boatbuilding, mining, the railway and art.
There are also early tourism artefacts, fabric from the textile industry at the Island, and a display recalling the two lifeboat disasters of 1938 and 1939. In addition, there is a small mineral collection, plus a display of Stone Age implements. Having taken over the role of Curator, I now fully realise the extent of the work carried out by my predecessors, Brian and Margaret Stevens, who ran the museum for 26 years. My role is to build on this work. Over the next few years, we aim to establish a digital software platform specifically designed for museums. We can then apply for accreditation status, which will enable us to access funding streams to help secure the future of the museum long term.
Over the winter months, we have been very busy behind the scenes working on the fixtures and fittings. These include new casement windows, and three new fans – we had to close because of Covid, as we couldn’t circulate air around the building. One of our latest acquisitions is a pair of display cases made by Robin and Dicon Nance at their Porthgwidden workshop for Barbara Hepworth, to display small works of art. These were donated by St Ives Society of Artists, and are a welcome addition to the museum’s display infrastructure. We’re so pleased to have these very fine cases. Among the museum’s attractions are the Hain Room, which illustrates the history of the St Ives-based Hain Line with models and paintings of the company’s ships, which all had Cornish names beginning with “Tre”. There is also the Cornish kitchen, which consists of two small rooms, fondly known as “Uplong” (the parlour) and “Downlong” (the kitchen). Displayed within the rooms are numerous utensils and chinaware from 100 years ago. Another display reflects farming and local rural life, close to the town. And Brian Stevens has created a modified example of the original pilchard cellar, with a detailed description of the operation of the 19th century pilchard fishing industry. This is a unique display – I don’t think there’s anything like it anywhere in the country. St Ives people will be pleased to know that Tiny the dog has come out of hibernation and is proudly on display. Tiny was a pointer who never grew beyond five and a half inches long, and two and a half inches high. He died at the age of three in 1849, and his body was preserved and placed in a glass case. He has always been a great attraction for younger visitors.
After five months of closure, we are delighted that the museum is open once again – thanks to the fantastic support of our volunteer team – and we look forward to a full season up to the end of October.
St Ives Museum Wheal Dream, St Ives TR26 1PR 01736 796005
