ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS

ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

Image: Orchard by Tim Carroll

Victoria Art Gallery, Bath BA2 4AT

Bath Society of Artists 116th Annual Exhibition, until 20 November Now in its 116th year, this popular exhibition showcases the best of the region’s artistic talent. Any artist aged 18 or over was able to submit work for selection, and all the artworks are for sale. Exhibits include paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and mixed media.

Myths and Monsters, 27 November –27 February 2022 This colourful celebration of children’s book illustration is a follow-up to 2017’s blockbuster Here Be Dragons exhibition, Visitors will meet characters, from the Gruffalo to the Iron Man and fearsome dragons to the Little Ogre. victoriagal.org.uk

Shooting Stars: Carinthia West, Britain and America in the 1970s, American Museum & Gardens, Bath BA2 7BD, until 31 December

Carinthia West’s intimate photographs of rock and film stars of the 1970s in America – and in particular on the glorious beaches of Malibu in California – present an upbeat and buoyant view of the decade that should remind us of the outstanding music and the great design of this much-maligned period. Carinthia West’s fascinating photographs demonstrate that the 1970s was a decade of bright colours, fun, and self-expression.

americanmuseum.org

Image: Pink Floyd Animals shoot, 1976

Rebecca Campbell, Akiko Hirai and Linda Felcey, Beaux Arts Bath, 12-13 York Street, Bath BA1 1NG throughout November

During November, Beaux Arts are showing Still • Life, a new collection of oil paintings by Rebecca Campbell. These lifeenhancing paintings burst with iridescent colour and life, and are an homage to Persian miniature paintings, with their reverence for nature, architecture and gardens. Also on show will be new still lifes by Linda Felcey. Her delicate oils celebrate the prosaic but transient qualities of objects –seasonal blossom, or ceramic vessels, captured in changing light. Ceramics are by the renowned London-based Japanese artist Akiko Hirai.

Image: Finding Paradise by Rebecca Campbell beauxartsbath.co.uk

Christmas Exhibition, Gallery Nine, 9B Margaret’s Buildings, Bath, 8 November –31 December

Gallery Nine’s winter exhibition brings together the work of British contemporary artists, ceramicists and jewellers. Carolyn Genders creates bold, asymmetric sculptural vessels and forms; ceramicist William

Papworth’s work is hand thrown, one-off and repeated forms that reflect an appreciation of simple, ergonomic design; and Paul Catherall is known for his clean, sharp linocuts of architectural London landmarks.

Carolyn Genders will also be showing alongside Paul with her relief prints.

Featured jewellers are Cara Tonkin who works mostly in silver, with finishes such as gold vermeil and oxidised silver and Ann Katrin Evans, whose work is like that of an alchemist where the ‘non precious’ becomes precious.

galleryninebath.com

Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, Green Park Station, 14 November Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair is delighted to welcome everyone back to its November fair. The fair is committed to bringing the best of contemporary art from the city and beyond right to the heart of Bath. Following on from the successful and popular fairs last year, visitors can browse the brilliant works of local artists and admire fine art, photography, sculpture and textiles, all under the vaulted glass roof of Green Park Station. For exhibiting artists visit the website. See also page 40.

bcaf.co.uk Image by Georgia Cox

Emma Rose Artworks, Bath Contemporary Artists Fair, Green Park Station. 14 November

Emma Rose is a contemporary artist specialising in semi-abstract and impressionistic painting with an emphasis on colour and texture. She has developed an original style melding Indian and French inks with acrylic paints, producing vibrant and arresting work with a fluidity and passion for life. Emma will be exhibiting her original contemporary paintings, limited edition giclée prints, art cushions and cards at the Bath Contemporary Artists Fair on Sunday 14 November, 10am–5pm. She will be available to chat to about commissions, her interior design service, and colourful creative ideas.

Image: Peony Haze by Emma Rose

emmaroseartworks.com

Eric Ravilious: Downland Man,

Wiltshire Museum, 41 Long Street, Devizes, 25 September –30 January

This major exhibition explores for the first time Eric Ravilious’ lifelong fascination for the chalk hills of southern England, particularly Wiltshire and Sussex. Featuring more than 20 works borrowed from national collections and private collectors, including iconic watercolours such as The Westbury Horse and The Wilmington Giant, alongside other rarely seen works. From his student days until the last year of his life, Ravilious returned again and again to the Downs, inspired particularly by the relationship between landscape and people. Watercolours and wood engravings included in the exhibition show dew ponds and farmyards, a cement works and a field roller, modern military fortifications and ancient monuments.

The exhibition is supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund. Tickets can be prebooked online.

Image: The Causeway, Wiltshire Downs, 1937 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

Image: The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

The Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath Hornet, Hailstone, Crab Eye, Aerodrome…(etc), until 3 January This exhibition presents the fruits of a recent anagama kiln firing by Aaron Angell and Steven Claydon. These two leading British artists share an anachronistic approach to historical influence, in this instance in the vernacular of ceramics from late-medieval rural Japan from where anagama kilns originate.

Rossetti’s Portraits, until 9 January A unique show devoted to the portaits of Dante Gabriel Rossetti including some of his most iconic artworks, which reveal the artist at the height of his creative powers, alongside his less well-known, but equally compelling early drawings of friends, family and fellow PreRaphaelite artists.

Sunil Gupta: The New Pre-Raphaelites, until 19 January A display of photographs by Sunil Gupta that explore the legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites and their influence on contemporary art. Gupta’s photographs allude to works by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an artistic movement founded in 1848, only a few years before Section 377 (which was used to prosecute homosexual activity) was introduced.

Thomas Lawrence Coming of Age, throughout November This virtual exhibition gives fresh insight into the first 25 years of one of Britain’s greatest portrait painters.

David Ringsell: Pandemic City Bath

Painter David Ringsell’s most recent work is inspired by the pandemic, with his latest series entitled Pandemic City Bath. David’s work is currently being exhibited at The Woolverton Gallery (see below), The Artery Art Café in Richmond Place (where he has a meet the artist event on 18 November at 7.30pm) and Conscious Café in Northumberland Place. David loves to share his artistic impressions of Bath, his home city. His unique and contemporary art prints of Bath show a different and sometimes darker side of the city and his paintings of Bath architecture don’t shy away from the stained stonework and peeling paint that are part of many buildings. Custom prints are also available in a range of sizes –visit the wesbite for more details.

real-images.com

Image: Northumberland Place Looking Towards Abbey Green by David Ringsell

From Figurative to Abstract, Woolverton Gallery, Bath BA2 7RH, 20–28 November

A special exhibition featuring the work of three talented local artists. Filling three of the gallery’s exhibition rooms, the show will feature a large number of new works by Kate Cochrane, Lynn Baxter and Brian Baxter. Kate Cochrane’s paintings are about landscape and her latest works consist of a series on the spaces between branches including catkins and new spring leaves. Lynn Baxter is an abstract painter and sculptor with fascination with the architecture of the picture plane. Brian Baxter specialises in painting wildlife and domestic animals, aiming to capture the essence of living things, creating vibrancy and energy.

Gold, 20–28 November, Waller&Wood, One Two Five Box Road, Bath BA1 7LR

A seasonal exhibition of ceramics by Gary Wood, jewellery by Annie Beardsley and painted clothes and scarves by Carole Waller. You’ll also find a host of smaller pieces for Christmas gifts. 11am–5pm daily at Waller&Wood. Call 07803 033629 for more information.

wallerandwood.co.uk

Image: Hand-painted modal shawl by Carole Waller

Pop Up Exhibitions at Milsom Place, Bath

Rostra Gallery’s Winter Wonderland, 6–20 November

Rostra Gallery is returning to Milsom Place for the run up to Christmas to showcase new works from some of their artists in this exclusive gallery pop-up. Limited edition prints, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, jewellery, craft and mosaics will be on show just in time for the gift-giving season.

Image below: by Maria Rivans

Pop Up Gallery with Modern ArtBuyer, 23 November –5 December

This contemporary, online art gallery will be showcasing their talented and hard-working artists’ recent pieces. They have curated an exceptional selection of original paintings and prints for the show, and bearing in mind that the Christmas season is upon us they’re making sure to show some perfect gift pieces too.

Both shows open from 10am–5pm Monday to Saturday and 11–4pm Sunday.

Time, 44AD Gallery, 4 Abbey Street, Bath 8–13 November

Stephen Morris is a selftaught artist, working and living on the Isles of Scilly, selling work at his beachside gallery, The Glandore Gallery. He paints entirely en plein air using traditional watercolours and inks. With the latter he doesn’t pre-draw and only uses a dropper and waterspray, mixing the ink mostly on the paper.

This exhibition is about our perception of time. “Sometimes we perceive time as passing slowly, occasionally it appears to stop or vanish in a blink of an eye. It depends on one’s viewpoint. Geological time is slow, a star’s lifetime is long, but a mayfly’s is short to us. Time is both precious and the enemy. There never seems to be enough. It’s gone too soon and we don’t necessarily appreciate it in the moment.”

glandorescilly.info/gallery

Image: by Stephen Morris

Romi Behrens: A Lively Vision, David Simon Contemporary, 37 High Street, Castle Cary BA7 7AW, 5–27 October

An exhibition of paintings from 1984–2004 providing an overview of Romi Behrens’ painting. Her passion for exploring working in oils is evident in this collection of paintings that include raw interpretations of the coast of Cornwall to the hotter climes of Cadaqués and a wonderful series of still lifes. Romi Behrens was born in Wiltshire in 1939, and moved to Cornwall in 1959 where she lived for the rest of her life. A violinist as well as a talented visual artist, Romi was described by critic Frank Ruhrmund as ‘both a speedy and a spontaneous artist’ and she was great friends with many leading contemporary artists in the St Ives Colony. Her work was exhibited at the Arnolfini, Bristol, private galleries in London and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions. Opening hours: Monday –Saturday 10am–5.30pm (closed Wednesday and Sunday).

davidsimoncontemporary.com

Image: Daffs, Lilies and Oranges II by Romi Behrens

Malachi Bogdanov on the Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair

Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair started in October 2020, so just over a year ago. Obviously lockdown made the launch slightly problematic!

The idea behind the fair was that art fairs can be expensive (for the artist and the public) and tend to be annual. This can make the exposure limited and the costs prohibitive. BCAF brings quality, original art to the heart of the community on a monthly basis, free for the public while promoting the city of Bath and above all promoting the artists. The main objective is to gather the huge talent which exists in and around Bath on a regular basis and showcase their work in the beautiful space and atmosphere that is Green Park Station.

The artists

We select artists based on quality, originality, technical proficiency and use of materials. We have 40 exhibiting artists each month on average and 60 artists have been the largest number –we could exhibit more if the space permitted!

During lockdown we continued to promote BCAF and its artists, including exhibiting their art online and through social media. This kept the fair fresh in people’s minds so when we came out of lockdown people were more than happy to come along.

Many of the BCAF artists turned to the internet during lockdown to plan exhibitions or be in exhibitions. There were literally thousands of online virtual fairs and galleries where artists/creators could continue to connect with the public and create an income stream. This was not ideal but it was the only real option at the time –many artists struggled.

Successful exhibitors

One exhibitor who has done particularly well with sales and attention is 19-year-old Meghan Josephine who joined BCAF this year (it was her first ever art fair) and she sold this amazing oil painting for £1500. Megan has now been accepted to study at the Glasgow School of Art.

Another of our artists is Tom Davey who has exhibited at every BCAF and has started to make a real name for himself. He now regularly sells his oil paintings of Bath and made £1800 at the most recent fair.

Painting by Megan Josephine

Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair is now booking for 2022. bcaf.co.uk

HISTORICAL RINGS PUT BIDDERS IN TOUCH WITH HISTORY…

Lawrences in Crewkerne began a busy week of sales on October 12th with nearly 500 lots of silver and vertu.

There was predictably reassuring strength in traditional areas of the market: a pair of George III entrée dishes and covers from 1805 made £2250; an engraved Victorian salver with Irish interest, 1842, made £3000.

However, in a sale of silver, it is the rare or more unusual lots that attract the greater curiosity from collectors. A rare late 17th Century small flask from Malta, dating from c.1690, was in the form of a `pilgrim flask` and bore a grotesque mask on each side with scrollwork and a tulip design. This 9.5cm flask drew keen bidding from Maltese collectors and made £4500, five times its estimate.

A collection of unusual and distinctive rings made the sale’s strongest prices and showed how the demand for history, rarity and quality of design seems to remain high. A gold and enamlled ring set with a portrait of Prince Albert tripled hopes of £250 to make £750; a gold signet ring with a sardonyx stone engraved with a coat of arms made £1250 against an estimate of £150-250; a gold ring set with a miniature portrait of the Duke of Marlborough (or possibly The Young Pretender) also raced beyond its estimate of £400-600 to take £3000 and a Jacobite memorial ring from the late 17th Century made £2375.

Two big surprises in this academic field were paid for medieval jewellery. A gold signet ring, set with a foiled glass intaglio, came from the collection of a medieval Earl of Buchan and might have been worn by his Countess, Mary Stewart in the 1430s . This soared to £11,250. Another gold signet ring, with a pink tourmaline stone, was engraved with Royal Arms and a motto, possibly for Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1436-1464). This also made £11,250.

“Jewellery has such intimate and personal associations,” observed specialist Alex Butcher. “Rings with a distinguished history and clear aristocratic connections carry an association that few other items could ever hope to match. With treasures such as this, one is truly in touch with history. We are delighted with the results that we achieved for all our vendors in this remarkable auction.” Entries for the next sale in January 2020 are invited until late November.

FREE VALUATIONS AVAILABLE: In Person | Online | Email | Phone | WhatsApp Home visits available on request. T: 01460 73041 E: enquiries@lawrences.co.uk

Lawrences

AUCTIONEERS

The Linen Yard, South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB. T 01460 73041

lawrences.co.uk

No Panic

Our supply lines are unaffected

How to win at Auctions

DUNCAN CAMPBELL

Antique silver specialist

And stay solvent

On the rare occasions when cost is a secondary consideration, say a dream house in a choice location, or a charity auction, your bank balance may be the only limit. However, most things up for auction are far from unique and so a cold heart is required.

I hate to be a killjoy, but the first page to be looked at in the auction catalogue is the one detailing commission charges. Most salerooms charge 30% buyers commission on the hammer price, some more, few less.

Auction lots will usually each have a brief description and an estimate. The description has to be factual because goods can be returned if they turn out to be not “as described”, so look out for what the description omits. There is no requirement for an estimate to be accurate, but there are rules. The lower estimate cannot be less than the item has been reserved for. When there is no reserve, a probate sale for example, then the estimates will typically be pitched very low in order that the ‘trade’ should know that the lots will definitely sell.

Since we have no way to tell what reserves have been left, any auctioneer's estimates must be treated with a degree of skepticism.

Most people, including me, when looking through auction catalogues, subtly start to form an attachment to the objects coming up for sale. Be it a house or just a trifle on Ebay, we are tempted to start to assume ownership before the auction is even over. This emotional draw can become a dangerous and expensive enemy.

I ignore estimates completely and base my bids on a rather boring formula. There is almost always a maximum price in mind - even for the dream cottage - which must be used to work backwards from.

Max Price - less commission = Hammer Price.

I can’t emphasise enough how vital it is to do this calculation before the sale begins. Attempting the mental arithmetic while the gavel is raised, in the hot blood of a saleroom, is a feat far beyond my slow brain. n beaunashbath.com; 01225 334234