New Gallery Exhibition Celebrates Woodlands

Our new Gallery exhibition takes its inspiration from the changing of the seasons. Entitled "Woodlands", the exhibition brings together work from five local artists in a beautiful collection of pieces that are both functional and decorative.

Furniture maker James Verner represents a new generation of English woodworkers and his contemporary furniture is synonymous with elegance and quality. His work is characterised by its sculptural forms and intuitive use of grain patterns within the wood to create stimulating and decorative effects. Running throughout his work is increasingly a sense of place, rooted within the Jurassic coastline where he grew up. James is showing a wonderful selection of chairs and tables, and a number of brand new designs including the "Rock n Roll" chair in English oak and natural leather, the Tribas pair of chairs in fumed oak and bright yellow leather and a stunning room-divider screen in English oak and handprinted linen.

In contrast to James' work, Nick Hannan's mirrors and tables have a more chunky form in celebration of nature's sensual curves. Nick is based in Sidmouth and works primarily with English oak, taking inspiration from the grandeur of our iconic national tree. Nick likes to work with the form of the wood, respecting and retaining its character and taking advantage of its inherent beauty, its remarkable strength, durability and nature which reveals itself as each piece develops. Nick is exhibiting a range of mirrors and long low bench-like tables.

The third furniture maker included in the exhibition is Roger Wickham, whose natural form furniture is made from a variety of woods, including elm, sycamore, hazel, yew and spalted oak. Roger sources his materials from his own property and from the hedgerows and woodlands of neighbouring farms and land-owners. Roger's work retains the natural shapes of the wood, although with the bark stripped to reveal the grains and patterns within. Roger is showing a selection of stools in sizes varying from 12" to 30" in height, a low side-table and a wonderfully quirky coat and hat stand.

To complement the larger pieces, the exhibition is also featuring the work of wood sculptor Peter Vernon, who creates bird and animal forms characterised by their flowing, sleek lines. Peter's unique style reveals an understanding of the properties of wood and reflects his love of nature. He works entirely with locally sourced British Hardwoods that usually come from ecologically managed woodlands, hedging and casualties of storms. His favourite woods are spalted beech and yew - spalted woods for the unexpectedness of the patterns and yew for its warmth and wonder. Peter's subjects include nuthatches, kingfishers, woodpeckers, wrens, and are a perennial favourite with Mill customers.

New to the Gallery is the work of Keith Beaney, whose striking mirrors are truly individual. Keith hand-crafts each one-off design using materials foraged from his local environment, including Woodbury and Aylesbeare Commons, Budleigh Salterton sea-front, the cliff-path to Exmouth, the Otter Estuary and his own garden. The materials include oak, beech and bracken leaf mulch, bracket fungus, lichen, seeds and berries, all bound together with Devon mud. The pieces are created in Keith's yurt studio and the end results are by-products of "a beautiful process, walking in nature, observing the seasons, marvelling at the complex interactions that create the masterpiece that is nature and reflecting on the complex inner beauty we all possess".

We are delighted to be show-casing such a wide range of work by local artists who work with and draw their inspiration from natural materials in our East Devon countryside. The exhibition has a very calm feel to it, which reflects the changing of the seasons.

 

Date added: Tuesday 15th September 2009
Latest updated: Tuesday 17th August 2010