Shelf-Life
22nd July – 9th Sept 2017
Shelf-Life
Designs Gallery is delighted to present Shelf-Life – an exhibition inspired by the beauty of objects and their place in our homes. Paintings, ceramics and sculptures always look wonderful displayed on perfectly lit walls or on white plinths in galleries, but what do we do with the piece that we fell in love with when we bring it home? This exhibition suggests that in order for beautiful objects to work in domestic spaces they need to fit in with the surroundings in which we naturally live. We all have a bookshelf, a windowsill, a bathroom shelf, or a kitchen ledge somewhere in our home. Well this is the natural place for all the works on sale in Shelf-Life. Please contact Designs Gallery if you wish to purchase one of the pieces in the catalogue or for information about other works in the exhibition. 01556 504552 web@designsgallery.co.uk Lucy Carlow and Jane McArthur
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Fraser Irvine Fraser Irvine is an emerging young artist whose work is inspired by the varied Dumfries and Galloway landscape. Working loosely and expressively he builds layers and textures to create atmospheric paintings which have their roots in the great tradition of British romantic landscape painters of the nineteenth century. These works, painted especially for Shelf-Life are landscapes in miniature (sizes from 14 x 18cm) and as such can be placed on any shelf or ledge where they can more than hold their own. 4
Estuary, oil on panel, 14 x 18cm Prices: £60 upwards.
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Lucy Burley
Lucy Burley’s work is both decorative and functional. Inspired by Georgio Morandi’s paintings, they make gentle statements of harmony of colour and form. Vessels are thrown on the wheel using white earthenware clay. She has developed a semi-matt earthenware glaze, smooth to the touch, to which she adds oxides and stains to obtain a wide spectrum of colours. Lucy studied Ceramics at Wimbledon and Camberwell Art Schools, graduating with a BA Hons. in 1996. She exhibits widely across the UK.
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Assorted Bottles, earthenware, 16 – 30cm £35 - £100
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Ali Tomlin
Ali Tomlin works in porcelain, throwing simple, elegant forms to a fine, paper-thin finish that the inherent strength of porcelain allows. Marks are spontaneously applied: scored lines, texture, and bold brushstrokes of colour. “I have always drawn and designed and love the energy of random lines or marks, from a sketch, painting or found on stones or peeling paint. I enjoy how just a simple line can completely change the feeling of a piece.� Ali’s work is both beautiful to look at and functional to use as it can safely go in the dishwasher and oven. Ali studied both graphic design and ceramics, combing these two disciplines to original and elegant effect. 8
Small V Bowls, porcelain. Price range for bowls, cylinder forms and round vessels ÂŁ45 - ÂŁ250
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Fiona Thompson Fiona Thompson’s ceramics made for Shelf-Life are a result of detailed research informed by recent travels to the Palace of Versaille, Musée de Sèvres, Nice, Bremen and Brussels. There are multiple layers and processes in each piece. Earthenware forms are built by hand. Layers of coloured slip are brushed on, then monoprinting, screen-printing or lino printing and stencilling are used to apply the first layers of text and image. Photographs, drawings and texts are manipulated and made into transfers which are applied to the fired glaze. Fiona has a BA (Hons) degree in Ceramics: Edinburgh College of and an M.Phil: University of Sunderland. She exhibits throughout the UK, in mainland Europe and North America. 10
Souvenir, glazed earthenware with fired transfers, h approximately 15cm for the smallest. Price range ÂŁ60 - ÂŁ300. Photo: Alistair Clark
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Sarah Jane Brown Sarah Jane Brown is a sculptor telling stories both of home and travel in miniature. Her unique and witty pieces are formed from knitted wire combined with driftwood, fragments of newspaper and maps, and pieces of tin can. Taking up little space, these pieces are perfect to add interest placed in front of books on a bookshelf or as a stand-alone piece of interest on a windowsill or mantlepiece. After completing a design degree, Sarah Jane set up her studio with the benefit of a Princes' Trust grant and now shows her work in prestigious Hot Air Balloon, newspaper, metals, wood, h, 20cm Price range for all pieces: ÂŁ60 - ÂŁ150
galleries across the UK.
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