Galleries - July 2016

20 CORNWALL AND WEST COUNTRY GALLERIES JULY 2016 art Cornwall arts across the county The lively, well established art scene which made Open Studios Cornwall week in May/June so rewarding, keeps the momentum going this month with galleries showing just how varied the work produced can be. First up is artists’ collective Padstow Studio , run by painter Sarah Adams, celebrating a 10th anniversary this year and continuing to champion artists working in both Cornwall and further afield with contemporary paintings, drawings and sculpture. St Ives, as ever, is a big draw for art inspired visitors – even with the temporary closure of the Tate for building work. A local gem of civic pride is The Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden where visitors can explore her life and work and view the studio in her former home before lingering in lush gardens to commune with her sculpture. When Belgrave St Ives opened a spit away in 1998 they specialised in Modern British work, particularly in the context of St Ives; increasingly they are also featuring local contemporary artists. In the current exhibition the focus is on the maritime themed paintings of Ffiona Lewis shown in tandem with work by such notables as Hilton, Frost and Hepworth. On the road west out of St Ives you come to Morvah and Yew Tree Gallery . The current exhibition here, 'Joie de Vivre' combines the work of six artists who celebrate just this – whether in the paintings of Simon Pooley, full of colour and movement, or those of Charlotte Lyon, figurative work that exemplifies the joy to be found in small moments of being, or the witty, whimsical automata crafted by Esther Smith; it is there too in the off-beat sense of fun embodied by Ardyn Griffin's papier mâché figures. Recently moved from St Ives to St Just is Petronilla Silver who specialises in showing a mix of contemporary fine and applied art. This month it is ceramicist Sara Moorhouse’s work, inspired by local light and colour. From an installation in Penzance station to his involvement with local environmental issues the name Kurt Jackson has, since his move here in 1984, become increasingly synonymous with Cornwall and its art. The Jackson Foundation in St Just is now in its second year showcasing both his work and concerns. For the current exhibition, a collaboration with writers as diverse as naturalist Richard Mabey and Glastonbury impresario Michael Eavis, Jackson dwells on that tantalizing concept, 'a sense of place', in the British landscape as it is perceived by others. Penzance/Newlyn is thrice blessed with excellent public galleries. The town’s own Penlee House holds an unrivalled collection of Newlyn School paintings while The Exchange A chance meeting at a party in Dartmoor in 2006 sparked the the inspiration for Trevor Felcey’s Martin series of portraits over the next six years which the artist described as “of the same person but all very different paintings.” In his biography of Felcey, Andrew Lambirth says Felcey’s ideas are “to do with visualizing . . . if they could be written he would be a writer.” In his pursuit of reality Felcey also paints and draws landscapes and still lifes in all mediums. Born in 1945, Felcey attended Grimbsy then Camberwell art schools rounding off at the Royal College from 1966-69. On the Cover Trevor Felcey Studio Pose II - Martin at The New Gallery Portscatho