James & Tilla Waters

James & Tilla Waters - Deep bowls

Another ceramic delivery in the gallery - this time these lovely little bowls made by James and Tilla Waters. Carmarthenshire based potters, James & Tilla trained with Rupert Spira in Shropshire, opening their own studio in Wales in 2002. Since that time they have built a quiet but prestigious reputation for their elegant, functional ceramics.

Kaori Tatebayashi teapot

Kaori Tatebayashi - Kohiki teapot

We had a new delivery from Kaori Tatebayashi in the gallery today, we're all in love with this exquisite teapot!

The Last Gallery, Llangadog

The Last Gallery - Llangadog, west Wales

I visited The Last Gallery in Llangadog yesterday with friend and fellow artist, Jacob Whittaker. We are showing a joint project in March 2010 in the gallery (...watch this space for news!)

The gallery was originally a cobblers' shop (hence the name) and retains its delightful original features - a really beautiful little space. Artist, Julie Ann Sheridan and her husband, upholsterer Mick Sheridan own and run the space. Open at specified times in the year, some artworks are offered for sale, but the emphasis is on the experience of viewing art rather than looking to buy it. Since opening in 2007 there has been a consistently interesting programme of shows including Marcus Coates' film Dawn Chorus and Wales based artist Louise Bird's Hyperbolic Spiral Crochet.

Currently Julie is showing a series of her own miniature landscape paintings of the village of Llangadog.

Julie Ann Sheridan - Village View

David Clarke

David Clarke - The Unusual Suspects - seen here

We were sent a link in the gallery today from silversmith, David Clarke. I'm a huge fan of his work, and there are some fantastic images on his blog. The playful sense of subversion and absurdity in his altered silverware always makes me smile. I blogged recently on his contribution to the most recent show in Flow Gallery in London and his work was included in The Everyday (a show originated by Flow and curated by Simone ten Hompel), at Oriel Myrddin Gallery in 2008.

Amy Houghton

Amy Houghton - Mary Croom's Dress - seen here

I like these images of Amy Houghton's work. She is currently showing work as part of Taking Time: Craft and the Slow Revolution originated by Craftspace in collaboration with maker and academic Helen Carnac; currently showing at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The exhibition "...explores how contemporary craftspeople respond to ideas about slowing down how we work and what we produce, and the importance of contributing to a more sustainable society."

The project blog quotes Carl Honoré, Author of In Praise of Slow: “The Slow revolution is sweeping through our fast-forward culture as people everywhere discover that decelerating helps them work, play and live better [the] Taking Time exhibition shows how craft fits into this Slow culture-quake. It offers a thrilling reminder that every object has a story behind it and that the art of making matters hugely to all of us.”

Amy Houghton - Cardigan Study - seen here

Amy Houghton uses her artistic practice "...to explore the hidden and revealed histories and stories related to old textiles and photographs..." she 'forensically' unpicks clothing and reanimates the process in film to try to understand and bring to life the nature and history of the garment. I have only seen still images, but it looks extremely interesting, and I really like their ghost-like qualities.

Caitlin Jenkins

Caitlin Jenkins - seen here

Thinking about Ewenny Pottery got me Googling Caitlin Jenkins! I had a joint show with her a number of years ago in the Washington Gallery in Penarth, Cardiff - my sgraffito paintings and her exquisite lettered vessels.

I found this wonderful image of Caitlin's hands on Flickr at The 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Caitlin Jenkins hands - seen here

Ewenny Pottery - Wassail Bowl

Wassail Bowl - Swansea Museum - seen here

I've been thinking about this amazing pot kept in Swansea Museum. It's a wassail bowl made in Ewenny Pottery, south Wales in the mid 19th C. The pottery still thrives and is currently run by 8th generation potter Caitlin Jenkins. Her ancestors first began throwing pots in Ewenny in 1610, but there may have been a working pottery there even earlier as clay was first dug on the site in 1427.

The wassail bowl would have been used as part of a folk custom at Christmas time: "...Wassailing bowls were always decorated in the same way and this one has nearly all the expected traditional features...[the] Christmas tradition of carol singing door-to-door grew out of wassailing. The bowl contained mulled wine which the householder drank for good luck before adding more wine to the bowl." seen here

I have also seen a modern replica made in this style and apparently, it is a difficult thing to produce; this piece manages to have an amazing life and spirit in its making in addition to its virtuosity.

On my recent visit to Flow Gallery in London I saw this piece (below) by Kate Malone which has a strong resonance with the form of the wassail bowl although I don't know if it's intentional.

Kate Malone - seen here