Music on the Edge

THE ART ROOM TOPSHAM continued its development as a hub for art, sculpture and music with a performance by members of the Music on the Edge collective.

Two Dartmoor based musicians, Susie Hodder-Williams (flute) and Chris Caldwell (clarinet and saxes), performed works by Bach, Benjamin Britten and Philip Glass on Sunday 28 August.

Music on the Edge performers Susie Hodder-Williams and Chris Caldwell

They also created unique improvisations inspired by the sculptures of Peter Thursby, part of the current exhibition at the gallery.

Hodder-Williams (flute) and Caldwell (clarinet and saxes) at the first exhibition in the new premises

New premises for THE ART ROOM

Sculpture by Peter Thursby from the exhibition that opened the new premises

Now in its third year THE ART ROOM has moved to its third and final venue. At last you can visit great exhibitions, gallery talks and musical events without negotiating a mountain of stairs!

 

The new gallery is on the Strand at Topsham, close to the museum, car parks, Goat Walk and Antique Centre.  I very much look forward to your company and have a wonderful new programme for you to enjoy.

How to Live a Good Life

The new exhibition for Zoe Rebecca Cameron at THE ART ROOM Topsham consists of two bodies of work with the same philosophy underlying both, all timeless and of universal significance. This has been described as “the defining exhibition for a leading British narritive painter”.

In this major one woman show Cameron presents to us a room full of ‘Life’s Truths’ as she puts it. The site-specific work has been created in two parts. The Fable Wall is a thematic collection of 28 oil paintings, hung in three tiers, based on Aesop’s Fables (picture below). This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see all of these paintings hung together in the space for which they were planned.

The “For My Sister” collection of 18 paintings took Zoe more than a year to complete. The subject matter came from long-distance conversations she had by phone with her younger sister Naomi and the paintings have an underlying message of ‘How to Live a Good Life’.

The exhibition runs until 31st October 2010. Full details at THE ART ROOM Topsham main site: http://www.theartroomtopsham.co.uk

Charity initiative raises £4,000

Robert Jennison: Hedge In Spring

Robert Jennison’s exhibition has raised £4000 for the FORCE cancer charity. Sarah Willocks of FORCE said the news “has made our day!”

Independently the gallery has raised over £100 in donations from visitors, an illustration of how much the public have enjoyed the exhibition and support the work of FORCE.

Further examples of Robert Jennison’s exhibition can be seen on the main ART ROOM TOPSHAM site at http://www.theartroomtopsham.co.uk/

Arnolds Mazitis retrospective planned

Last year I bought two paintings at auction by Arnolds Mazitis. They take centre stage in my lounge and I love them.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by a couple from London who came across the images on my website. It turns out that they also own a couple of these wonderful still-life paintings.

Arnolds Mazitis still life 76x65cm

An interesting story has started to unfold about this refugee from Latvia who, with his wife, made a home in London, he painting and she teaching music. Arnolds died in 1992. He used to paint all night because his wife taught singing during the day which goes some way to explain the dark backgrounds to his paintings.

Arnolds Mazitis still life 82x68cm

There is much to learn about the man and his work so I will be visiting his studio later in the year with a view to presenting an exhibition of his work in 2011.

Robert Jennison’s gallery talk was a great success

A regular feature at THE ART ROOM Topsham is the Gallery Talk by one of the leading artists of the southwest. Robert Jennison’s appearance on Sunday 21st February has been called a great success.

Over 30 people attended the informal lecture and Q&A session. Robert was eloquent, informative and witty and the event was described as a very absorbing couple of hours. Gallery director Deborah Wood explained “the lecture was free but the good people who came were generous in their donations to the FORCE Cancer charity.”

Tom Epton writes: Dear Deborah – A really good evening and thanks so much for creating such a lovely occasion. Jill and I feel that these conversations are very fruitful and insightful and we both know that you have given much thought as to how you want to realise your vision of things. All this does not go unnoticed or unappreciated, I assure you!!

Full details of the Robert Jennison exhibition can be found at http://www.theartroomtopsham.co.uk/Current.html

New opportunity for artists in Devon

Dewer & Green exhibition at The Art Room Topsham

We have looked at our exhibition programme (which is booked until 2011) and have decided to shorten the length of each exhibition from 8 weeks to 5. This has created eleven 6-day slots that can be hired by professional artists as Fringe exhibitons.

If you would like to see your work in our beautiful gallery in Devon, please send a proposal. Our main web site has the details on the Fringe page.

New Exhibition Supports Charity

Robert Jennison’s forthcoming exhibition is in support of the Force Cancer Charity based in Exeter. Robert had cancer some years ago and feels he owes his life to the research and equipment that the Force Charity financed.

This exhibition at THE ART ROOM TOPSHAM is a wonderful chance to support a great charity and acquire some beautiful paintings. I hope many people come and visit the exhibition.

Image below: Blackdown Hills

For further information on Robert Jennison’s new exhibition you can view the Preview page on our main website.

Ambassadors Needed

Hospice Care have contacted me to assist them find ambassadors to help raise their profile, they are a local charity giving dedicated, expert care to the terminally ill people in Devon.

They give all their care free of charge because thousands of ordinary people help them to raise millions. If you know someone who could help them please contact them on shirley@fison.info

Thoughts on Art

Over Christmas I read My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am an Artoholic. I enjoyed some of his replies to questions such as:

What’s the point of art?
“To stop our eyes from going into meltdown from all the rubbish TV and films we look at the rest of the time”

Do you agree painting is dead?
“For me and for people with good eyes who actually enjoy looking at art, nothing is as uplifting as standing before a great painting, whether it was painted in 1505 or last Tuesday”

Are there not always great artists who go undiscovered?
“By and large, talent is in short supply … mediocrity can be taken for brilliance rather more than genius can go undiscovered”