Press Release
28 | 04 | 23
Martha Holmes - The Island Revisited
with ceramics by Chris Keenan & jewellery by Emily Nixon
27thMay to 23rdJune 2023
Martha Holmes |Late March on Porthgwidden | 60x60cm, oil on board
New Craftsman Gallery's early summer collection by Martha Holmes, titledThe Island Revisited, introduces a collection of paintings that capture the colours and forms in and around St Ives landmark ‘The Island', paired with compositions inspired by her studio interior. Painted at her beach hut and in the studio, the paintings capture West Cornwall's seasonal shift into spring as the intensity of light alters, with soft sage greens, fresh whites, vivid cobalt blues and the sweeping curve of the tide as pivotal motifs in many of her works. Small scale paintings in the collection offer an intimate connection to the unique environment of St Ives, while larger works immerse viewers in an expanse of space, by way of simpler, more paired back marks and flat planes of colour.
The series also includes a body of still life paintings that capture moments within the studio and interior of the beach hut, with vessels of seasonal blooms, full of warmth and colour, that bring a more considered and refined feel to this new collection by one of Cornwall's most collectable young artists.
Chris Keenan ceramic
Also on show is new work by ceramicist Chris Keenan, who is known for his hand thrown Limoges porcelain. In this collection he continues to explore the colour combinations and surface details exhibited at his New Craftsman show of 2021, including mirror-black and rust-coloured tenmokus enhanced by the addition of striking deep reds, plus new works in the pale blue green ofpure, unadulterated celadon.
Emily Nixon | Dulse Stack Skyline Gemstone Ring
The exhibition is complemented by a showcase of work by jewellery designer Emily Nixon, whose work responds to the beauty of the tideline, reflected through texture, colour and form. This new collection is centred around her latest Pebble and Adakite designs, a combination of small, irregular stones around a central natural sapphire. Emily explores the irregular and distinctive oval shapes of pebbles collected along the shoreline, finding new ways to represent their natural balancing act and the manner in which they fit together in nature. Delightfully askew and distinctive in their tilting, organic formation, each individual setting has its own character, just like the beach pebbles that inspired it. Other designs include Emily's Adakite gemstone pendants, Skyline Dulse Ring Stack and a selection of gemstone earrings.
New Craftsman Gallery, 24 Fore St, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1HE.01736 795652 | info@newcraftsmanstives.com | www.newcraftsmanstives.com
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Print Ready 300dpi images for press use:
MARTHA HOLMES Late March on Porthgwidden
Chris Keenan ceramic
EMILY NIXON Dulce Stack Skyline Gemstone Ring
Editors Notes
New Craftsman St Ives
With an international reputation amongst art and craft collectors for its painting, sculpture and quality studio ceramics, the New Craftsman is regarded as one of the most important spaces for contemporary artists in St Ives. Founded in the mid-1960s by potter Janet Leach, it holds an unrivalled reputation as one of the country's leading art and craft venues. Today the gallery's annual programme of mixed and solo exhibitions continues to support the work of Cornwall's and the UK's very best painters and craftspeople.
New Craftsman Gallery, 24 Fore Street, St. Ives, Cornwall TR26 1HE | Tel: +44 (0)1736 795652 |info@newcraftsmanstives.com|www.newcraftsmanstives.com
For further press information or additional images contact Mercedes Smith at Fine Art Communications director@fineartcommunications.co.uk / Tel 07825 270235 / www.fineartcommunications.co.uk
