WHAT:           Art Exchange Exhibition between Arlington and Wales 

WHO:             Eight Welsh Ceramic Artists

WHEN:           June 6 – July 31, 2008
                   Opening Reception Friday, June 6, 7 p.m.

                   Curator's Talk 7 p.m.

WHERE:        Lee Arts Center, 5722 Lee Highway, Arlington

 

INFORMATION:     703-228-0560

http://www.arlingtonarts.org/leearts.htm

This exhibition exchange between the Lee Arts Center in Arlington, VA and Llantarnam Grange Arts Center in Cwmbran, Wales, features contemporary ceramics by eight Welsh artists.  In conjunction with the exhibit, artist Melanie Brown will be a resident artist at the Lee Arts Center for the month of June, when she will present a two day master workshop on teapot construction.  An opening reception will be held Friday, June 6 at 7 p.m. with a curator's talk with co-curators Melanie Brown and Pete Goodridge.  Attached is information on the exhibiting Welsh artists.The first part of the Arlington/Wales exchange occurred from May 3 –June 26, 2008 with an exhibition of the work of nine ceramics artists from the Lee Arts Center at the

Llantarnam Grange Arts Center in Cwmbran, Wales.  One of the artists, Novie Trump, spent a month in residence in Cardiff, Wales at the Fireworks Studios, where she also held a one-person exhibition of her work.

The Lee Arts Center is a program of the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources.

Art Exchange

Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is the regional centre for the Applied Arts in South East Wales. It occupies a 19^th Century Victorian manor house situated in the heart of Cwmbrân Newtown.  It specialises in contemporary Applied Arts,  presenting a changing program of temporary exhibitions and runs an extensive education programme focussed on the local communities of South East Wales.

WELSH ARTISTS EXHIBITING AT THE LEE CENTER:  

 Duncan Ayscough

Duncan Ayscough's  practice is continually informed by the intrigue of opposites, especially those of control and chaos. Duncan draws his inspiration from the classically proportioned forms of Greek and Roman culture. The surfaces of his thrown earthenware forms are created by the layering of fine particled terra sigillata slips. The carbonisation of the surface is the result of lengthy firings in combustible materials. The vessels are highly polished and gold leaf additions provide a sense of strength and resonance to the internal space.

Sam Bakewell

Sam Bakewell creates body casts in a fine porcelain clay called Parian Ware. With the idea of affliction versus intimacy; Sam explores interests in metamorphosis, voyeurism and surrealism to create parts of the figure which are reminiscent of finely carved classical marble sculptures. Using feet with curled toes or a pair of disconnected hands engaged in an unknown activity, Sam's work evokes a strong emotional response in the viewer. Pain or pleasure?

Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown produces sets of teapots representing family groups with each piece holding an important position in relation to the others. Using porcelain the sets have been thrown, turned, glazed and fired together. Sharing common features yet retaining their individuality, each pot is valued for its own idiosyncrasies rather than selecting the one perfect piece from the kiln. Already having a place in our collective consciousness the teapot as an icon of British culture becomes an analogy for the human condition.

Lowri Davies

Lowri Davies' Welsh heritage is a major source of her inspiration. Often her work references china displays on ‘Welsh dressers' and mass produced ceramic commemorative ware. Lowri casts in white earthenware and models her hand-built pieces using porcelain clay pressed into an etched plaster surface. Using both hand-built and slip-cast processes, Lowri makes jugs, cups and objects that are decorated with her own illustrations of ‘traditional' Welsh imagery.

Morgen Hall

Morgen Hall produces a wide range of tableware that is both highly decorative and intended for everyday use. Morgen's work is hand thrown and finely turned in tin-glazed red earthenware and is often influenced in shape and surface by the food that it is intended for. Morgen uses a computer to cut stencils derived from for example, Darjeeling tealeaves, runner beans and celery.

Catrin Howell

Catrin Howell is noted for her lively animal sculptures. Catrin's work is often based on stories of mythical beasts and Welsh myths, particularly those from the most famous collection of Welsh myths, the Mabinogion. All the pieces are hand built using both porcelain and a coarse brick clay. A significant feature to Catrin's work is the decision to leave the physical impressions made by the artist during the creation of the work so that they are still visible in the finished pieces.

Walter Keeler

Walter Keeler's pottery is rooted in the domestic and the functional. Walter works in both salt-glazed stoneware and lead-glazed earthenware; his innovative and characteristic designs are thrown, turned and altered. Walter's work is not only functional but holds a strong ornamental element that bridges the gap between practical domestic objects and sculptural form. His influences include Greek Pottery, Roman Glass, Eighteenth Century Staffordshire Wares and tin oil cans.

 

Wendy Lawrence

Wendy Lawrence's work combines unconventional handbuilding that portrays a spontaneous method of working with an intention that suggest both structure and disorder, capturing the energy of geological forms. The work is fired in a gas kiln, with a varying atmosphere of light to heavy reduction. Wendy uses glaze made of highly reactive and eruptive materials applied in multiple layers, often very thickly, creating rich textural surfaces. This reflects the inspiration of the work which is derived from the rich textures particularly in eroded rock and geographical structure, which is documented through travelling and walks in North Wales.

Claudia Lis

Claudia Lis makes a range of highly finished functional ceramics that are wheel-thrown in small batches using white stoneware. Claudia currently works with a selection of iron-rich celadon glazes that require gas-firing under reduction in order to develop their typical soft green colours. Claudia presents her work in groups united by their related forms and subtle variations in colour, thereby creating a ‘still life' atmosphere around her pieces.