Devon's artists showcase their talent in this October roundup
The artists' community of Devon goes from strength to strength, and their work can be seen in galleries across the county. Witness the diversity and quality of work on display...
The Appeal of Steel
Sculptor Trevor Jennings was born in Torrington and has exhibited widely, both at home and abroad. Recent commissions include work for the Government of Mali and public space pieces in London. A major part of this show will be large pieces of work using steel recycled from oil tanks discarded from local farmyards.
This show runs at the Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, until 5 October. 01237 471455
Affordable Art
If you find yourself in Kingsbridge, wander up the hill and pop in to the Market Hall where members of the South Hams Arts Forum (SHAF) will be putting on their annual week-long display. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the talented local artists who man the show and to select a truly affordable gift.
This show takes place on 25-31 October in the Market Hall, Fore Street, Kingsbridge.
Frink Prints
An iconic figure of the British art world, Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-93) is more commonly celebrated for her monumental sculptures than her printmaking. However, in this exquisitely sensual suite of etchings she created to illustrate Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in 1972, her graphic skills are demonstrated. This gallery, which specialises in works on paper, will be displaying more of her illustrative work, with etchings and lithographs for sale.
This exhibition runs from 19 October - 10 November at the Brook Gallery, Budleigh Salterton. 01395 443003, www.brookgallery.co.uk
Seeds and Shore
Seed heads and skeletal plant forms, beach flotsam and rockpools provide the inspiration for Angie Lewin and Jane Beecham, the two printmakers sharing this show. You may recognise Angie's delicate graphic style as her work has been widely depicted on greetings cards as well as on fabric. While Angie works with linocuts and lithography, Jane has developed a technique of colour-saturated monotypes to express her fascination with the shoreline, producing luminous and translucent works on paper.
'Seeds and Shore' runs from 18 October to 15 November at Hybrid, High Street, Honiton. 01404 43201, www.hybrid-devon.co.uk
This is an impressive exhibition of the vibrant, spontaneous and mainly abstract paintings and prints by Hilary Soper. With the sea a recurring theme to her work, it is her artistic response to it that is so interesting, the outcome largely the result of emotional reflection and the enjoyment of paint for paint's sake. This exhibition will also include work produced while in Antarctica, which she visited as an artist-in-residence aboard an expedition vessel.
'Sea Change' is showing at Harbour House, Kingsbridge,
30 September - 12 October. 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.uk
Spoilt for Choice
This is a delightful gallery with prints, ceramics and jewellery all on show, plus Terry Macey designer clothes. If you want to see Carol O'Toole's bright and colourful paintings of Dartmoor, you will have to be quick as her show finishes on 26 September but will be followed immediately by the spectacular photography of Alan Jacobs, who specialises in landscapes and seascapes.
Arts Gallery, Red Lion Yard, Okehampton. 01837 55807
Playing With Fire
In a major survey of contemporary UK enamelling, this show spans the full potential of this exciting medium, which can generate an intriguing range of objects and art forms, from exquisite jewellery to large-scale wall pieces. Ground coloured glass is fired at high temperature onto a base of gold, silver, copper, steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Enjoy the new approaches being made by emerging makers pushing the boundaries of this craft and learn more about its history at a talk on 20th.
'Playing with Fire' is on at The Devon Guild of Craftsmen,
Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, from 20 September until 2 November.
01626 832223
Art and Insects
If you find insects a bit creepy, this exhibition is guaranteed to make your skin crawl as it draws together the works of more than 40 artists to showcase their insect-inspired art. Showing at the same time as the Royal Entomological Society's annual conference is taking place at the University, its aim is to examine the range of approaches and perspectives artists can bring to this subject - an intriguing exercise.
'Art and Insects' runs until 17 October at the Portland Square Building, Plymouth University. Open Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. 01752 585050
Sisters in Art
Mary and Rachel Sumner are sisters and this joint show exhibits Rachel's textile art and Mary's silk and acrylic paintings. Both women have used Tiverton and the Exe valley as sources of inspiration and the results are beautifully coloured, exquisitely worked and often humorous.
Lantic Gallery, Gold Street, Tiverton. www.lanticgallery.co.uk, 01884 259888
The Illustrated Animal
Don't miss the opportunity to see the wonderful works of Jonathan Walker, who has found the countryside around Exeter rich hunting grounds for tracking down the badgers, foxes and voles that are his subjects. The illustrator's skill is everywhere apparent in his clever depictions of animals in tatty clothing, and the characters he creates have very strong appeal.
This exhibition is on show from 1-31 October at Chagford Galleries, 20 The Square, Chagford. Open 10am-5.30pm. www.chagfordgalleries.co.uk,
01647 433287
A Devon Summer
David Morgan is one of the county's best-loved artists, his latest oil paintings both eagerly awaited and collected. This exhibition will be showing his recent works from time spent en plein air on Dartmoor this summer - if summer was the right word - and quite often you will find part of the landscape physically incorporated into his paintings. Given this summer's very wet weather, finding blobs of moorland mud mixed in with the oils will not be difficult.
'A Devon Summer' is on at White Space, Fore Street, Totnes, 11-25 October 01803 864088
Pathways
CanzArt is a well-known colony of 15 artists based in West Devon and East Cornwall, and the venue for their latest exhibition of recent work is set within the walls of a building once home to the Elizabethan seafarers Drake and Grenville. Why not take the opportunity to combine a visit to this 700-year-old National Trust property and see this accomplished group's paintings at the same time?
'Pathways' is on show at Buckland Abbey, Yelverton, near Plymouth, 4-10 October. Open daily 10.30am-5.30pm (closed Thurs). www.canzart.co.uk, 01822 853607
iPod Sculpture Walk
Exeter University's Streatham Campus with its arboretum, ponds and gardens, is one of the most beautiful in the country. There are 25 sculptures situated in this setting, both out in the open and within university buildings, some by renowned national figures as well as by local artists. In an interesting new initiative, you can now take a self-guided tour with iPod and map, listening to expert commentary as you look at the sculptures - and it's all free.
You can hire an iPod (with driving licence as identification) from the IT helpdesk in the Main Library weekdays 9am-4pm. Outside tour takes approx 1 hour and is not wheelchair-friendly.
Geometry of Fear
This is a major national exhibition from Hayward Touring and features a selection of sculptures and works on paper that represent the art of the '50s, powerful artistic responses to such events as the Holocaust and the Second World War and the climate of fear generated by the Cold War.
In another of the museum's galleries is the 'Artists of St Ives' exhibition, a feast of colour and energy featuring both the abstract and figurative art inspired by the Cornish landscape. Some of the leading figures from the St Ives School will be on show as well as works by those closely associated with this influential group. 'Geometry of Fear' is on at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery until 14 October. Open 10am-5.30pm Tues-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat. www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk, 01752 304774
The Old and New Snaffles
Organised by Eggesford Studio Gallery in Chulmleigh, this is an exhibition that is bound to attract sporting and military art collectors. 'Snaffles', Charlie Johnson Payne (1884-1967), remains ever-popular, his hunting and racing scenes commanding a large following, and original prints will be for sale. Also on show is Daniel Crane, who paints very much in the style of a bygone era, and who is being called the 'new Snaffles'.
This exhibition takes place in Dulverton
Town Hall, 17-20 October, 10am-5pm.
Eggesford Studio, 01837 680021.
Visiting Artist
The watercolours of John Gillo will be featured in the first visiting artist exhibition for this new Brixham gallery. John Gillo paints atmospheric watercolours that capture the qualities and beauty of Devon's landscapes, and originals and prints will be on sale.
This show runs from 14 October until 4 November at the Slack-Stevenson Gallery, Middle Street, Brixham. 01803 853593
Devon Views
Period and contemporary oil paintings and watercolours spanning three centuries are for sale in this weekend exhibition, with works by Samuel Perry, Noel Leaver, Alfred Leyman, Arthur Enock and John Shapland amongst others. Scenes depicted include this one of Exeter Cathedral, Topsham and the Exe Estuary, Sidmouth, Dartmouth and Dittisham. If your taste is for views of Devon as it used to be, this is a show you must not miss.
Elford Fine Art's autumn exhibition takes place at Exeter Golf and Country Club, 17-19 October. Catalogue from 01822 612123
Solo at Salar
Pam Cox paints the country lanes, moors, streams, coastlines and cottage gardens that are the essence of the Devon landscape. This solo exhibition of her evocative pastel landscapes reveal her delicate handling of this medium.
'Quintessential Devon Landscapes' is on at Salar Gallery, Bridge Street, Hatherleigh,
23 October - 22 November. 01837 810940
Shape and Balance
Charlie Waite has been at the forefront of landscape photography for 30 years and his atmospheric works reveal his concerns with light, colour, shape and balance. You can meet the artist on 11th (2.30pm, booking advisable) when he will be giving an informal talk and signing books. Immediately following this show is the collaborative exhibition of Anna Booth and David Ward entitled 'Landscape Beyond', an exciting opportunity to see the work of leading exponents in their field.
Charlie Waite shows at Bangwallop, Island Square, Salcombe, until
30 October, and 'Landscape Beyond' starts on 31 October and runs until 15 December. 01548 843100
Coast Lines
The Appledore Crafts Company provides artists and makers with a co-operative gallery in which to exhibit, and this annual autumn exhibition features the work of two member artists, Colin Allbrook and April Doubleday. Colin's watercolours are painted on specialist handmade paper produced by a local mill on Exmoor. April gained a degree in Design Metals at Plymouth College of Art and Design and is passionate about only using materials for her bold jewellery that have been ethically sourced or are environmentally friendly; hence the ebony and rosewood she uses were once parts of musical instruments and the gold she sources is strictly Fair Trade 'Green Gold'.
'Coast Lines' runs from 18 October to 9 November, 10am-5pm, at the Appledore Crafts Company, Bude Street, Appledore. 01237 423547, www.appledorecraftscompany.co.uk
Revelation
This new gallery space, which occupyies the foyer and cafŽ space of the Exeter Northcott Theatre, will feature an exhibition of new work from Lawson E Rudge, Lee Godfrey, Alistair IW Campbell and Darcane Arts, and will also introduce new names from across the region.
Of particular note is the work of Nicholas Eastwood, a world-renowned painter and ceramicist who lectures in contemporary art at Exeter University and who has an interesting way of working. For many years he has taken his inspiration from Spanish guitarists and composers, interpreting their music into a visual form.
'Revelation' is showing at the xNorthcult Gallery, Stocker Road, Exeter, until 8 November. www.exeternorthcott.co.uk
Autumn Collection
Since this show offers such a vast and changing collection of great paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewellery and crafts from 40 of the region's (and country's) finest artists, there is a very good chance that you will spot some ideal Christmas presents here. Escape from the city for an hour or two to see what this barn gallery and its sculpture courtyard has to offer.
This exhibition runs from 20 September - 22 December at the Delamore Gallery, Cornwood, near Plymouth. 01752 837719, www.delamoregallery.co.u;
