Icelandic Design

I don't normally post about things un-gallery-related.... but I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Iceland and apart from the thermal lakes, geysers, wild horses, northern lights, waterfalls, mountain hikes, volcano pools.... phew.... I became completely hooked on Icelandic design.

 

Icelandic architecture from the outside is functional and it has to be said, pretty unglamorous. Concrete and corrugated iron cladding are the norms (there is a lack of native trees to be used for building materials). However, get within the concrete and corrugated iron and there is an emphasis on minimalistic design, lighting, texture and luxurious and natural materials. 

Just as an example. The visitor centre at "Geysir" houses a shop, bar and cafe. All of the plates and ceramic ware in the cafe are hand thrown and unique. The stools are handmade from vintage, recycled wood, the walls are polished concrete and the lighting has been carefully considered.... 

It was wonderful to be in a culture where craftsmanship is so valued and used in everyday life. Icelandic design has made me want to throw everything out of my home and start again from scratch!

I thought it was high time to post something here (I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I posted! I guess that's what happens when you have a gallery to run - time just flies by...)

We've had a brilliant summer in the gallery. Here are a few highlights....

June - We enjoyed a very busy art fair at Hampstead in London, in fact it was our most successful to date in terms of sales and interest in our artists.

 we had a Janet Lynch solo exhibition on in the gallery throughout June and I was delighted that she sold a dozen paintings by the end of the first week. Janet has exhibited at Cornwall Contemporary for years and it was very satisfying to see her hard work and integrity pay off. The candyfloss machine at the private view was a particular hit!



July - we had a gallery full of gaff rigs and gulls throughout July with Simon Stooks' solo exhibition taking centre stage. 

August - Maggie Matthews show "Muse" was a wonderfully vibrant show buzzing with energy and colour. I was delighted that many of her larger canvases found new homes all over the country. Maggie and I both thought that this exhibition was her very best. Combining her wonderful sense of colour with layered textures and subtleties - it really was superb.

September - congratulations to gallery artist Alasdair Lindsay whose paintings are featured in the current edition of Ideal Home Magazine. Alasdair has a painting in our current exhibition - the Penzance & St. Ives show and is also busy working on new paintings for our next trip to London at the Affordable Art Fair in October.

The current exhibition at the gallery is "Penzance & St. Ives - Pen Sans & Porth Ia" and as the title suggests, it's a mixed show of paintings, printmaking, sculpture and installation that depicts contemporary views of two of England's most south westerly towns.

     

(clockwise from top left - Neil Pinkett with his paintings of Penzance street scenes, Simon Tunrer in front of his quirky paintings on found board of St. Ives and Penzance, Tom Rickman in front of his oil on canvas "Path and Cloud and Simon Pooley in front of "Moorings, Penzance")

As part of the "Penzance and St. Ives, Pen Sans and Porth Ia" exhibition, Morwenna Morrison is using the attic gallery for her installation "The Life and Times of a Studio". Following her recent artist residency at the Porthmeor Studios in St. Ives, the installation features, audio and visual projections and a series of photographic prints. It's a very unique and visually stunning installation.

Morwenna Morrison hanging work in her installation "The Life and Times of a Studio"

 Here's looking forward to an equally busy and interesting autumn. We have a solo exhibition of Arthur Lanyon's paintings throughout October - this follows on from his near sell out show here in 2013.

We also have our next art fair - the Battersea Affordable Art Fair - coming up at the end of October, followed by a mixed exhibition which takes us up til Christmas. Hope to see many of you at the gallery or in Battersea soon!