Of Place and Time - Martha Holmes, Adrian Mitchell and Jack Doherty

o f p l ac e & t i m e o f p l ac e & t i m e

m a rt h a h o l m e s a d r i a n m i tc h e l l m a rt h a h o l m e s j a c k d o h e rt y a d r i a n m i tc h e l l j a c k d o h e rt y

New Craftsman Gallery 1 st August – 4 th September 2020 (see website for opening times & full collection) Exhibition Overview by Curator Sarah Frangleton

o f p l ac e & t i m e

The exhibition, Of Place and Time, brings together three artists working in distinctly different mediums; Painter, Martha Holmes, Woodturner Adrian Mitchell and Ceramic Artist, Jack Doherty. The work of all three shows their deep engagement with landscape and a particular sense of place. The changes and effects of passing time is reflected in their individual studio practice.

Martha Holmes paints directly in response to the moment. Absorbed in capturing the shifting light and changing seasons through her abstract sea and skyscapes.

Adrian Mitchell sources wood from his local landscape to make his turned vessels. He harnesses the natural beauty that transforms the green material into organic sculptural shapes through time. Jack Doherty’s soda-fired porcelain forms connect people, pots and place inspired by archetypal functional vessels from history.

Martha Holmes / Painter

Artist Statement

I am a painter working both plein air and from my studio in Falmouth. Process, and the space I work in, has always been important and I am fascinated by the shifting identity of both the north and south coastlines of Cornwall. My work is a reaction to the way a landscape alters throughout the day - the colours, the intensity of light and the changes in weather fronts influence how a painting evolves. Time controls the components to my paintings and encourages me to be present within my work.

My paintings are momentary. It is the passing of time and the visual changes within the landscape that are reflected in the spontaneous energy of my brush strokes, giving the works a sense of immediacy. I rarely plan a painting or have preconceived ideas of how it will form, I simply respond to the visual immersive experience in that moment. They are an elemental reaction of time and place.

Collection

1-5

6 - 10

11 - 15

16 - 20

21 - 24

25 - 28

29 - 32

33 - 34

39 - 40

35 - 36

37 - 38

41 - 42

43 - 44

45 - 46

47 - 48

49 - 50

51

List of works (see online for complete collection)

Description (oil on board)

Dimensions (mm)

Price

1

Along Gwithian

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

2

Dark Sea from the Studio, St Ives

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

3

June Afternoon from the Studio

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

4

Ochre Hills near Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

5

Soft Colours along Gwithian

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

6

Blue Sea and Green Headland, Gwithian

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

7

Green Summer Landscape, Flushing

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

8

Landscape over Zennor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

9

Soft Spring Light near Carbis Bay

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

10

Spring Sea, Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

11

Blue Sea, Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

12

Island on a Bright Day

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

13

Moving Tide on Porthgwidden

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

14

Soft Summer Hues over Gwithian

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

15

White Waves Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

16

Bright Summer Headland from the Studio

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

17

Summer Light on Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

18

Summer’s Day on Porthmeor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

19

Spring on Porth Beach

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

20

Walking Towards Zennor

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

21

Summer’s Day, St Ives

300 x 300 (460 x 460 framed)

450

22

Dark Horizon, Soft Dunes, Gwithian

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

23

Late Spring Studio View, Porthmeor

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

24

Low Tide near the Island

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

25

Blue Day Porthmeor II

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

26

Fresh Green Landscape, Zennor

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

27

Low Tide - far end of Gwithian

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

28

Summer Afternoon, Sandy Acres

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

29

Blue Sea on Gwithian

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

30

View from the Porthmeor Studios

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

31

Looking out of the Studio, Falmouth

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

32

Blue Day Porthmeor I

600 x 600 (800 x 800 framed)

950

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

33

Across the Sand Dunes, Gwithian

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

34

Low Tide and Summer Light Porthmeor

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

35

April Afternoon from the Studio

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

36

The Island, Porthmeor

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

37

Blue and Green Landscape, St Ives

800 x 800 (1000 x 1000 framed)

1250

38

Yellow Fields, Zennor 610 x 1300 (1100 x 1500 framed)

1450

610 x 1300 (1100 x 1500 framed)

1450

39

Dark Sea and White Water, St Ives

40

Over the Dunes, Sandy Acres

Description (oil on paper)

Dimensions (mm)

Price

41

Low Tide on Porthmeor

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

42

Over the Dunes, Gwithian

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

43

Over the Dunes towards St Ives

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

44

Walking Along Zennor

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

45

The Island, St Ives

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

46

View from Porthminster

420 x 420 (620 x 620 framed)

550

47

Green Headland Zennor

420 x 600 (620 x 640 framed)

650

48

Porthmeor View

420 x 600 (620 x 640 framed)

650

49

July Colours on Porthgwidden

420 x 600 (620 x 640 framed)

650

50

Summer in St Ives

420 x 600 (620 x 640 framed)

650

51

June Afternoon Gwithian

420 x 600 (620 x 640 framed)

650

Adrian Mitchell / Wood Turner

Artist Statement

I like to work intuitively without too many rules, using wood from the local landscape. I work in green, or wet, wood and allow it to dry in controlled conditions so natural distortions take place, sometimes over several months.

I often choose material that will give interesting and unpredictable results, for instance wood from the fork of a tree, or a junction between trunk and branch.

Working intimately with each piece of wood on the lathe, I endeavour to create satisfying forms that establish a point from which the material can express itself through the drying process. When it is dry the finished work holds a story - revealing characteristics of the species, the age of the tree, which part it came from, and where and how it grew. Stresses in the wood determine how it shifts, folds or splits as the moisture content drops. This is what fascinates me.

How I work

My work comes from a deep-rooted love of the natural world. I’ve always been fascinated by trees and how their growth is affected by their environment. An oak tree in the middle of a field appears very different from one growing in densely packed woodland, in a hedgerow, or on a windswept hillside.

A 100 year old tree can reach a height of 40 metres with a perfectly straight trunk or, in different conditions, it can be stunted at two metres with wildly contorted limbs. Inevitably these differences affect the quality of wood the tree produces. In my work I try to explore some of these differences.

I work only in wet or green wood, often selecting material from the fork of the tree that will distort unpredictably as the finished piece dries. I like to think that each piece tells its own story about the species and age of the tree, where it came from and how it grew.

Most of my recent work is made of wood from the ancient Devichoys wood, which is composed mainly of Sessile oak . Cornwall’s native Sessile oak has an open, ring-porous grain which encourages unrefined, elemental work that reveals the natural structure and texture of the wood. Devichoys, which was traditionally coppiced to produce fuel for the local foundry and gunpowder works, has been virtually untouched since before the 2nd world war. It is now managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and is being coppiced once again, as part of a woodland regeneration programme, by Tom Kemp and Nick Jarvis of Working Woodlands Cornwall.

I’m grateful for the opportunity of going to the woods to select the material myself - restricted only by the size I’m able to move and take back to my workshop. It’s important for me to be engaged with the material from an early stage, maintaining a continuum and layering of place, source, history and the passage of time.

February 2020

Collection

2&3

4&1

6

7

8

9

11

12

13

14

17

20

15

16

18

23 & 24

19

24

25

27 & 30

34

39

43

26

29 & 28

31

32

35

38

44

33

38 & 46

36

47

41 & 42

41 & 42

List of works (see online for complete collection)

Description

Source of Material

Dimensions (mm)

Price

1

Hollow form in Norway maple - sanded with oil finish

Enys gardens

135dia x 135h

120

2

Hollow form in sweet chestnut - sanded with oil finish

Scott’s wood, North Helford

125dia x 110h

120

3

Hollow form in ash - sanded with oil finish

Enys gardens, Penryn

145dia x 120h

120

4

Hollow form in sweet chestnut with copper staple - sanded with oil finish

Scott’s wood, North Helford

160dia x 115h

130

5

Hollow form in holly with copper staples - sanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

210dia x 110h

250

6

Hollow form in holly - sanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

270dia x 110h

250

7

Hollow form in Norway maple - sanded with oil finish

Enys gardens, Penryn

290dia x 85h

250

8

Hollow form in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

290dia x 140h

300

9

Hollow form in sessile oak - ebonised with copper staples, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

375dia x 125h

650

11

Hollow form in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

280dia x 220h

200

12

Hollow form in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

220dia x 170h

170

13

Hollow form in holly - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

350dia x 160h

600

14

Hollow form in sweet chestnut - sanded with oil finish

Scott’s wood, North Helford

400dia x 230h

800

15

Hollow form in beech - sanded with oil finish

Enys gardens, Penryn

360dia x 110h

600

16

Hollow form with lip in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

260dia x 230h

600

17

Hollow form with lip in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

300dia x 280h

650

18

Bowl in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

245dia x 155h

180

19

Bowl in Turkey oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

270dia x 165h

180

20

Bowl in Turkey oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

280dia x 180h

180 220

21

Bowl in Turkey oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

300dia x 200h

22

Bowl in Turkey oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

360dia x 215h

220

23

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

225dia x 180h

225

24

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

220dia x 175h

225

25

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

180dia x 200h

225

26

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

195dia x 230h

225

27

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

200dia x 170h

225

28

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

185dia x 150h

225

29

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

195dia x 165h

225

30

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - unsanded with no finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

170dia x 235h

225

31

Bowl with brass base in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

200dia x 180h

225

32

Bowl with brass base in cherry - sanded with oil finish

Penryn garden

185dia x 220h

225

33

Hollow form in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

125dia x 195h

130

34

Hollow form in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

145dia x 180h

130

35

Hollow form in cherry - sanded with oil finish

Penryn garden

180dia x 205h

150

36

Hollow form in holly - sanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

230dia x 410h

500

37

Hollow form in holly - sanded with oil finish (see website for image)

Devichoys wood, Penryn

180dia x 275h

200

38

Tall hollow form in Turkey oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

290dia x 410h

950

39

Tall hollow form in Turkey oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

310dia x 415h

950

40

Tall hollow form in Turkey oak - unsanded with oil finish (see website for image)

Devichoys wood, Penryn

290dia x 470h

1000

41

Tall hollow form in sessile oak - unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

280dia x 540h

1450

42

Tall hollow form in sessile oak - unsanded with no finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

270dia x 580h

1450

43

Tall hollow form in sessile oak - fumed, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

265dia x 430h

1250 700

44

Tall hollow form with solid base in Turkey oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

200dia x 445h

45

Tall hollow form in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish (see website for image)

Devichoys wood, Penryn

245dia x 475h

1000

46

Tall hollow form in sessile oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

265dia x 450h

1000

47

Tall hollow form with solid base in Turkey oak - ebonised, unsanded with oil finish

Devichoys wood, Penryn

-

1250

Jack Doherty / Ceramic Artist

Artist Statement From the idea that history, time and tradition can be a dynamic and changing force, I consider our need for clay objects and ask questions about their changing role in a contemporary world. I look at the ways people made things before art or craft. For me, the concept of function is ambiguous and multi-layered. I make sodafired porcelain forms that contain the qualities of art and utensil.

Somehow, the sea, the sky and the land have infiltrated my work. My connection with the landscape is both visual and physical. My work looks back to pre-history and the archetypal vessels used for storing, holding and preserving. Essential pots that once served a practical purpose and held a ritualistic place in both the everyday and the journey into the next world. As containers of emotion and connectors with the spiritual, I want my vessels to inhabit our spaces in light and shadow with nuances of colour and surface texture that neither painting or sculpture can.

Memory Jars; the storage of past memories For me vessels can be messengers and communicators in our technology filled society; containers of ideas, protectors of intangible things and keepers of thoughts. The Memory Jars I have made for this exhibition are containers for the storage of past memories. Objects have the ability to absorb and carry layers of experience embedded within the spaces of the forms and responsive materiality of clay.

Near the city of Phonsavan, in Northern Laos, is an area known as the Plain of Jars. Not strictly a plain, it is known as the most heavily carpet-bombed area in the world, peppered with live land mines. The landscape contains a large number of carved stone jars, made between 500BC and 200AD, some of them scarred and blasted by the American bombing in the Vietnam war. The purpose of the jars is mysterious, they were possibly cremation sites, but their story is still unknown.

The Jar form is one of the most ubiquitous in ceramic history, used for storage, keeping and preserving. In my childhood, growing up in Northern Ireland, we called the ceramic whisky bottles ‘stone jars’.

They were a valuable commodity to a small child. If we were lucky enough to find one it could be traded in for cash.

My work is made using one clay, one mineral and a single firing.

Over time the process has become simpler and more refined in the belief that stripping away the unnecessary can produce work with complexity and depth. I enjoy the fluid, sensual nature of porcelain combined with the freedom of throwing and hand-building. My firing technique is unique; a vital and dynamic process using soda as a catalyst to create a reaction with copper to produce a subtle palette of colour and texture closely integrated with the form.

Collection All work is handthrown soda-fired porcelain unless stated

1&5

2

6

7

3

4

8

9

10 - 13

14 - 16

17

18

19

20

25 & 26

21 & 22

27

23 & 24

28 - 30

List of works (see online for complete collection)

Description

Dimensions (cm)

Price

1

Memory Jar I (in the order shown on mantlepiece image)

H34 x D17

£850

2

Memory Jar II

H37 x D22

£1,100

3

Memory Jar III

H38 x D21

£1,100

4

Memory Jar IV

H35 x D21

£980

5

Memory Jar V

H41x D15

£950

6

Square Memory Jar

H46 x D10

£950

7

Guardian Vessel I with carved rim

H34 x D34

£3,500

8

Wide Rimmed Guardian Vessel II

H30 x D30

£2,800

9

Wide Rimmed Guardian Vessel III with carved interior

H29 x D30

£2,500

10

Harbouring Vessel I

H25 x D10

£320

11

Harbouring Vessel II

H21 x D8

£280

12

Harbouring Vessel III

H16 x D10

£280

13

Harbouring Vessel IV

H23 x D 9

£270

14

Harbouring Vessel V

H38 x D8

£650

15

Harbouring Vessel VI

H38 x D11

£750

16

Harbouring Vessel VII

H34 x D10

£680

17

Smokey Pod Form

H25 x D22

£980

18

Round Pod with lemon flashing

H14 x D18

£380

19

Wide Rimmed Pod with carved interior

H20 x D25

£980

20

Smokey Grey Wide Rimmed Vessel with carved interior

H19 xD28

£1,100

21

Tall Rimmed Vessels

H15 x D13

£420

22

Tall Rimmed Vessels

H16 x D13

£420

23

Conical Vessel I

H19 x D22c

£520

24

Conical Vessel II

H14 x D18

£380

25

Conical Vessel III

H11 x D14

£160

26

Conical Vessel IV

H11 x D13

£160

27

Oval Vessel I

H18 xD19c

£490

28

Oval Vessel II

H12 x D12

£360

29

Oval Vessel III

H11 x D14

£280

30

Oval Vessel IV

H14 x D14

£220

Photography: Rebecca Peters Photography: Rhona McDade / Goodrest Studios Shoot Location: Morgans Gallery & Studios, Falmouth Publication Design: Martha Holmes Paper FSC certified paper from sustainable and recycled sources printed by Westdale Printing Group Online For full collection of works please see our online catalogues at www.newcrafstmanstives.com Questions Please email us at info@newcraftsmanstives.com or call us on 01736 795652

www.newcraftsmanstives.com

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info@newcraftsmanstives.com

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