Category Archives: Art

‘Make Jewellery Not War’

by

“Say Something”

Today was cold and grey, but it included a chance to visit an exhibition by 6Artist Collective at Farnham Pottery. That visit brightened the whole day, particularly our chat with Emily Smith about her ‘Make Jewellery Not War’ collection.

The rings in this collection were solid and definite, and each supporting a mini work of art – a sculpture featuring a tiny person (or people) made from brass shell casings. Their postures, even though so miniature, seemed full of resilience and hope, despite odds which she’d somehow also managed to convey. 10% of her sales from these pieces go to Médecins Sans Frontières. Eyes shining with emotion, she told us of her deep respect for the charity’s work. I hope that her own work, and its message, will reach far and wide. It looked so striking and beautiful in the old building.

Farnham Pottery is tucked in amongst the houses of Wrecclesham. Its brick shell has an old wooden heart, which adds to its welcome and texture. The whole fabric of the building felt creative to me, and so suited to displaying everything from Ali Tomlin’s elegant ceramics, to the rich selection of paintings, mainly landscape, by Ruth Taylor, Tamara Williams and Nic Cowper. It also showcased the gleaming mosaics of Denise Jacques, as well as including a small studio space where guest artist Jane Browne was working on her woven tapestries.

The whole visit was a gentle, thought-provoking few hours, topped off with homemade cake and scones from the Hobo Cafe below. Not bad for a grey day.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

The way art can make you look a little longer

by

I love looking at art, and so enjoy visiting the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham. I drop in every so often, and when I do I’m never looking for anything in particular … just looking.

The recent surprise was the Surrey Artist of the Year Competition (SAOY 23). I hadn’t realised that it was on, so it was an extra bonus to find the gallery full of especially selected arts and crafts, all chosen by the public. Apparently nominations are put forward to the gallery by those who have visited artists and creators during the Surrey Open Studios in June.

It was such a treat to walk around the selection. The hard part was trying to decide who to write on the slip of paper as our choice for overall winner. We each chose differently and I kept changing my mind every two steps. How do you choose? The colours, the images, the ideas, the skill, the precision, the freedom – the art in it all. The glass in the photograph, by Joanna Lloyd, happened to be catching the light as I walked past.

Midday on 27 October is the last day for the public to vote.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

A first visit to the National Portrait Gallery

by

Our visit to the National Portrait Gallery today was fascinating – plenty of portraits from the Tudors onwards, and the perfect amount of information beside each painting to add another layer to our morning of seeing who was who, and why they were there.

The man above is Jem Wharton (1813 -1856) painted by Liverpool artist William Daniels. This little portrait was on one of the top floors of the National Portrait Gallery, just off from rooms full of huge paintings in lavish detail of various Tudors and members of their courts. What caught my eye was the attitude staring out from the frame, the occupant so watchful of the man who would paint him.

Who was the subject? The information beside the painting told me that it was Jem Wharton, one of the ‘most successful boxers in early 19th-century Britain’, winning his first bare knuckle fight in 1833, and retiring undefeated in 1840. He’s been painted wearing boxing gloves but apparently these were only for training sessions and not actual fights. The detail that he had paused in the middle of training for the artist, made sense for me of the impression I had of his reluctance to be still and to be studied.

This was just one of the many paintings that made me pause and really indulge in the irresistible chance to wander up close to the subjects – to stand and stare without having to look away while I tried to see what the artist had seen.

I loved the visit. My two main impressions: first – the powerful propaganda potential of portraits; and second – there were a lot of portraits of men, painted by men. There were women, but they only really started to come into their own as we worked our way down to the lower floors.

If you’re thinking of going, you’ll need at least a couple of hours and you’ll probably want to go back again.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023