The Best Art Gallery in Cornwall

We are extremely thrilled and proud to announce that we, the Porthminster Gallery, have won 'Best Art Gallery' at the Cornwall Today Awards 2014.

Gallery Director Dee Bray receiving the 'Best Art Gallery' award

Our Managing Director Dee Bray attended the prestigious awards ceremony at the Headland Hotel, Newquay and accepted the award for the gallery.

Up against three other nominated galleries, we are stunned and delighted to have been announced as the winner. The nominees are set by a panel of judges who then give the final decision over to a public vote and we have been blown away in finding out recently that an impressive 60,000 votes were cast.

The award has definitely added an extra spark to us all at the gallery with this unexpected recognition of the team's much hard work. We are now busy trying to say a big thank you to every single person that has supported us and, in our planning for 2015, endeavoring to keep the gallery living up to this impressive title.

Award news: 'Best Art Gallery'

The gallery has been shortlisted for 'Best Art Gallery' in the Cornwall Today Awards 2014. 

We are thrilled to receive the news that we are within the four art galleries nominated for the 'Best Art Gallery' award. Voting is currently open and we are calling on all to take a few moments to vote for us using the awards website: http://www.cornwalltoday.co.uk/awards/.
Voting ends this week, Sunday 31st August.

There are countless thank yous to come for all of the support we have received as well as the announcement of the winner at the ceremony on Thursday 25th September 2014.

The awards celebrate 'the brightest best of the county' which comprises 16 categories, all containing outstanding businesses and products from Cornwall. We are also very pleased to see our fantastic neighbours Trevose Harbour Hotel up for 'Best Small Accomodation' and Fifteen, Watergate Bay - run by our chosen charity Cornwall Food Foundation - shortlisted for Best Fine Dining.

To find out more about the awards and cast your vote, visit the Cornwall Today website: http://www.cornwalltoday.co.uk/awards/

Horizons

Painting by Marianne Buckley, winner of the gallery's sponsored award from the Truro College 'Horizons' exhibition

On Tuesday 20th May, we were pleased to once again find ourselves in the large marquee on the Piazza at Lemon Quay, Truro viewing an exciting display of the latest artistic talents to emerge from Truro College as part of its student's Art & Design show. For the past three years we have enjoyed spending a day entranced by the creativity and individuality that each year has demonstrated and attempting to select just one artist from the impressive range of talent on show to receive our gallery prize.

The award that we donate each year for the show comprises of a part within an exhibition at the gallery. Past winners include Rebecca Harris whose bold, Hockney-inspired landscape paintings went in to private collections across the UK and Benjamin Ayling whose constructed rope collage is now on permenant display within the art collection of a Cornish-based business (see sixth image down: http://www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/news/amazing-student-art-at-white-out-exhibition/).

This year the winner of our sponsored award is Marianne Buckley whose work struck us from across the room with its jewel-like colour. Marianne has just finished a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at Truro College and will be going on to study BA(Hons) Degree Fine Art at Wimbledon University. As stated by the gallery director and curator David Durham, 'Marianne's layered, semi-abstract paintings caught our interest, and we are looking forward to seeing her work develop, and to working with Marianne in the coming months.'

We are now finalising plans to show Marianne's work within one of our upcoming exhibitions, details of which will be announced later in the year. Join our mailing list to be the first to be notified about our upcoming shows.

'New Beginnings' (8 February - 1 March 2014) | An overview

Our first show of 2014 'New Beginnings' is now open with a fresh and energetic line-up of upcoming artists, all of whom are recent graduates from one of the UK's leading arts institutions, Falmouth University.

Paintings, prints and drawings by Ruth Naylor, Sam Houston and Olivia Jones with ceramics by Rebekah Lockley on display as part of the 'New Beginnings' show

The ‘New Beginnings’ show, hosted at the gallery at the start of each year to showcase new artists, has proven to be an exhibition highlight in our programme of shows over the last seven years. Success stories include Mirjana Smith, also a recent graduate of Falmouth University, who's quirky, mixed media, assembled teapots were first shown through our 2011 ‘New Beginnings’ show. Since then, Mirjana has gone on to be one of our permanently represented artists with inclusion in high profile shows such as her supporting collection in the exhibition ‘Sir Peter Blake: Signed Prints’ in August 2013, alongside the “Godfather of Pop Art” himself.

'Double Carn Brea Ring', Emily Goodaker

This year’s noteable names include Contemporary Crafts graduate Emily Goodaker, who has recently won a scholarship towards a highly respected postgraduate masters in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery at the Royal College of Art. Her collection of contemporary jewellery takes inspiration from a significant artefact at the Royal Cornwall Museum, a gold slater coin, found at Carn Brea, Cornwall, during 1749. After working with conservators to take a cast of the original gold coin, the form is cast and fragmented in silver to create intricate pieces that explore the narrative to the coins discovery and its Cornish history.

        'Milk for Life', Rebekah Lockley        

Also a graduate from the Contemporary Crafts course is ceramicist Rebekah Lockley whose illustrated, hand built red earthenware vessels appropriate elements of Traditional English slipware to chronicle the changes within the modern English countryside - in this collection's case, the UK's dairy industry. Using the sgraffitto technique, Rebekah's skillfully hand etched imagery and text react to falling milk prices, anxieties in the supply chain and the impacts of poor weather on farmers in a style veiled with dark humour.

'Vessel III', Olivia Jones

Sam Houston, Olivia Jones, Charlotte Keates and Ruth Naylor champion a variety of unique, stylised drawings and paintings within the show; exploring mark, technique and tone. All graduates from 2013 in BA (Hons) Fine Art from Falmouth University, each artist demonstrates a confident and personal style of working that has already led to a combined exhibition history that stretches across the UK; including the currently touring Jerwood Drawing Prize exhibition which features Olivia Jones' shortlisted 'Vessel I' (2013). Olivia, a draughtswoman and sculptor, was one of 76 shortlisted for the prestigious prize, selected by judges out of over 3,000 submissions. Her 'New Beginnings' collection includes 'Vessel III' (2013), from the same series as the shortlisted drawing, as well as three exquisite, small pieces created just for the show of St Ives.

Inspiration from the Cornish coast is also very evident in the works of printmakers Izzy Adams and Mimi Robson who display the traditional crafts of etching, aquatint and woodblock printing: 

          'Open Ocean II', Izzy Adams         

Izzy Adams' monoprints on delicate Japanese paper reference dense sea mist, pale grey-blue swirling sea and heavy white cloud, in wide, borderless works and contained shapes that explore both the endlessness of open sea and the enclosed pen of a harbour. 

            'In Crescendo', Mimi Robson           

While Mimi Robson's combination of monotypes and copper etchings have emerged from her relationship with the ocean as a surfer: capturing curling waves and salty spray, the luminous sea against the slate grey cliffs and the gentle rhythm of the ocean felt when sitting in the line-up, waiting for the next rolling set. 

All eight Falmouth University gradates within the show have been handpicked by the gallery for showing great promise at this early stage in the careers and the exhibition marks an exciting opportunity for both artist and viewer to view the beginnings of young, bright artistic careers.

‘New Beginings’ will be on view until 1^st March 2014 and all of the works within the show can also be viewed on our website.

2014 New Beginnings

The gallery will be closed from Sunday 12 January for 3 weeks for our annual winter break and will open again on Saturday 1st February, 11 - 5pm.

In the meantime, we leave you with enticing images of works to be included our first show of 2014 'New Beginnings' (8 February - 1 March 2014). The exhibition will showcase a handpicked group of nine promising young graduates from Falmouth University and is to feature a selection of paintings, drawings, prints, jewellery and ceramics.

Full collections by all of the artists will be revealed on our website at the end of January. Join our mailing list to be updated by email as soon as the works are available to view.

The private view for the exhibition will be held at the gallery on Friday 7 February, 6 - 8pm.

All are welcome, please RSVP if you are able to join us.

Find out more of our plans for 2014 exhibitions on our website.

Welcome and Happy New Year

We are celebrating the New Year with the launch of our new blog!
Here you will be able to keep up to date with gallery news, view our exhibitions in more detail, read interviews with our artists and much more.

Festive Lights, St Ives

A Retrospective

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We have had a wonderful year in the Porthminster Gallery since moving permanently to our fantastic space on Wescott's Quay; from a visit from Sir Peter Blake CBE to a reading of poetry by Simon Artmitage CBE, here are some of our highlights:


Sir Peter Blake at Porthminster Gallery 

Gallery Directors Dee Bray and David Durham with Sir Peter Blake CBE and his wife Chrissy

                

 Sir Peter Blake with his work by Mirjana Smith

 

A real highlight of the year for us was an exhibition of limited edition prints by the 'Godfather of British Pop Art', Sir Peter Blake. The prestigious works drew a huge crowd and wonderful atmosphere to the gallery from near and far, and, having last been on a beach 53 years ago, it was most certainly a rare event to have Sir Peter himself visiting!

The works of Falmouth Graduate Mirjana Smith were displayed alongside those of Sir Peter Blake. As an artist known for her unique and often humorous tea pots created from an eclectic collection of found and recycled objects, it was clear she would be the perfect accompaniment to a show compiled of collaged prints. Sir Peter was so taken with the works he bought a piece to take home.

Solo Exhibitions

Nick Bodimeade giving a pre-show talk

 

Nick Bodimeade: 'From Here' on display in the Porthminster Gallery

This summer the gallery curated a long-awaited solo exhibition by Sussex based artist Nick Bodimeade. His distinct and unmistakable works drew a large crowd which admired the shimmering beach scenes, captivated, as we were, by the works which challenge the concept of both abstract and representational art.

Many attended a pre-exhibition talk by the artist who discussed themes and motives, giving great insight into the large scale paintings.

'Tipping Point', Matthew Lanyon

Matthew Lanyon at the private view of 'Tipping Point'

Visitors look upon 'Climbing Belle' at the exhibition opening

During September, the gallery was proud to host the solo exhibition of celebrated St Ives artist, Matthew Lanyon; unveiling an entire years worth of work (2012 - 2013). The collection, entitled 'Tipping Point', ranged from intricate and exquisite smaller pieces to a series of highly charged large, bold paintings. The vast scale of two momentous works, 'Tipping Point' and 'Climbing Belle', thrilled and enthused with their impressive 7 and 4.5 meter spans, vivid colour and intriguing symbolism. 

The dramatic event of the sinking of the Concordia sparked inspiration for key elements of the painting 'Tipping Point' which was hung onto our expansive wall as the ship itself was raised out of the water - timing that was not planned but added even more prominence to the story told within this complex piece.

Brian Plummer attending the private view of 'Beneath the Surface | Brian Plummer'

'Wall Piece', Regina Heinz, part of the collection 'Recording Landscape - Mapping Time'

Brian Plummer's work on display

Regina Heinz with her sculptural work

                     

In October the gallery exhibited the highly praised works of Brian Plummer; renowned for his complex and rhythmic landscape work. Soft billowing horizons met with layered relief, and filled the gallery space, making for a spectacular show.

Plummer's works were accompanied by the ceramic sculpture of Regina Heinz. The internationally recognized artist displayed numerous works echoing the movement and form of land and sea, her unique wall pieces in particular demanding much attention.

 Gallery Events

  Poet, Simon Armitage holding a reading in the gallery

An audience with Simon Armitage

During the St Ives September festival we were treated to a reading from the eminent British poet, Simon Armitage CBE as part of his 'Walking Away' journey walking the South West coast path, from Minehead to Land's end and beyond as a modern troubadour. It was an honor to host the event and, with limited tickets available, it was an eagerly anticipated and sought after evening.

The journey is to be documented in a new book by Simon Armitage, a follow-up to his acclaimed 'Walking Home - Travels with a Troubadour', which we excitedly await.

Ikebana, arranged by Katsushi Koike in a ceramic by Craig Underhill

Japanese artist Katsushi Koike collaborated with us in the gallery in February to create an incredible display for the entrance using the traditional methods of flower arranging, Ikebana. Katsushi selected a large ceramic vessel by Craig Underhill to inspire and then hold his arrangement - its confident marked surface and expansive blue finish sparking a vision of 'a dragon coming out of the sky'.

image courtesy of http://www.slowartday.com/

This year we took part in 'Slow Art Day' for the first time. An annual, international event aimed at encouraging the public to 'discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art.

It was a beautiful day in April where, after an hour of observing, a group of 10 members of the public studied and discussed 5 selected works from the Porthminster Gallery, over crayfish sandwiches at the Pedn Olva hotel.

Described by one attendee as 'A wonderfully sociable and enjoyable way to spend the day; fantastic to see others so engaged in Art'.

Having had such a successful day, we shall be hosting another 'Slow Art Day' in 2014 and we welcome you all to join us! Keep up to date with our blog for news on future fixtures.

 And finally....

The stunning views from our gallery windows have kept our social media followers gazing at St Ives from all other the world, filled our space with light and most importantly given us on-the-spot reference to the colours and forms that give so much inspiration to our artists. So last but not least, a few of these ever changing views from the gallery during 2013:

Stills taken from Parker Paul's video 'Spring Tide' showing the gallery on the left

 A big thank you to all who have supported us during this exciting and busy year.
We look forward to sharing more with you during 2014, Happy New Year!