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/

A night to look forward to...tickets are limited!

Award-winning Poet

Simon Armitage

will be launching his new book

Paper Aeroplane: Poems 1989 – 2014

with readings at the

Porthminster Gallery, St Ives on

Thursday, 7^th August 2014:

First reading: 6.30 – 7.30pm

Second reading: 8.30 – 9.30pm

Tickets: £7 per person, with £3 redeemable

against purchase of the book on the night.

Tickets available from the gallery. Places are limited.

Porthminster Gallery  |  Westcott’s Quay  |  St Ives  |  TR26 2DY

Tel.  01736 795888  |  info@porthminstergallery.co.uk

www.porthminstergallery.co.uk

Style File: A Collaboration...

We have recently linked up with Truro's inspired, unique interior company, Stylehome.

Mark and his team at Style Home visited the gallery to size up our space and to piece together a collection of furniture with the brief of creating an area where our customers can sit, enjoy a coffee and browse the gallery catalogues. The result is a beautifully selected set of seats around a long wooden table, positioned in the natural light that flows through the windows from our courtyard.

Already used by many to spend time pouring through our Terry Frost and Sandra Blow books or as a comfortable seat as we go through questions to set up an OwnArt agreement, the space has also become a firm favourite for staff meetings - or, as put into action recently, to sit back and take the load off our feet after a busy private view.

One of our recommended local companies, we are looking forward to developing our collaboration with Stylehome by placing artwork in their showroom at Chiverton Cross, Truro.

'Copper Lustred Blue Pool Bowl', by Sarah Perry.

'Ann Winder-Boyle: St Ives Tales' and 'Summer Show' private view (Friday 4th July 2014)

Ann Winder-Boyle discusses her work.

Ann Winder-Boyle's Solo Show (left) and attendees enjoy the work of Arthur Lanyon and Nick Bodimeade.

Painters Richard Sorrell (left) and Arthur Lanyon (right) with their work.

The entrance to the gallery.

'Ann Winder-Boyle: St Ives Tales' and 'Summer Show' - 5th July - 30th August 2014

Nick Bodimeade

Arthur Lanyon

Richard Sorrell

Jenny Hirst

Katie Almond

Sarah Perry

Karen Shapley

Ann Winder-Boyle

'Wire Book Sculptures' by Ann Winder-Boyle

St Ives Tales

We are currently preparing for our first solo exhibition of 2014, 'Ann Winder-Boyle: St Ives Tales' (5th July - 30th August 2014). This will also be our first solo exhibition of work by Ann Winder-Boyle and, to mark this, the acclaimed mixed media collage artist has turned her focus to St Ives.

'Jolly Holidays', coloured ink drawings collaged onto vintage book cover with beeswax layers, h. 45 x w. 60 cm, Ann Winder-Boyle

Ann Winder-Boyle has become widely recognised for her selection in the Royal Academy Summer Show over five years and her feature on the BBC2 Culture show. Her work incorporates old books, ink drawings and beeswax and takes inspiration from stories and recollections from past and present to create images that at first glance appear to have come from early children’s literature. Reflective of an age of innocence they can at times be sentimental and amusing or have a much more sinister undertone.

The new collection for ‘St Ives Tales’ does not disappoint with playful images of life in the harbour town dotted with edgy scenes that demonstrate the trademark wit that has propelled this artist into the spotlight. Scenes include the historic Royal Blue Coach Service which ran in Cornwall from 1880 to 1986, a reaction to banning of dogs from the town’s beaches and a twist on Enid Blyton’s ‘Five Get Into a Fix’ – from a set of works from which two others were selected for this year’s Royal Academy summer exhibition.

“I have been enjoying holidays and exhibiting in St Ives for several years now. I grew up in Cumbria, more famous for its lakes than its stunning coastline and maritime history but as the great granddaughter of a local Pier master I guess I would always feel a connection to the sea.

“‘St Ives Tales’ is a collection of work based on the local area, historical texts, stories and articles from local press. Through these I have gained an insight into how the town has developed and what is ‘happening’ in the area with the aim of producing a body of work indicative of St Ives.” Ann Winder-Boyle, 2014.

‘Ann Winder-Boyle: St Ives Tales’ will open with a private view in the gallery, with Ann in attendance, on Friday 4th July, 6 - 8pm. Contact the gallery to RSVP.

All works from the show are now available to view on our website.

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.