The new programme of day workshops at Barton upon Humber’s The Ropewalk has just been released and already the classes for the first half of 2014 are attracting interest.
Workshop co-ordinator Laura McNair has put together a blend of old favourites alongside new workshops to temp people either to expand their knowledge of a particular craft or to add ones to their range of skills.
“We welcome the return of Diane Higgins-Lee with a day workshop on intermediate silversmithing as well as printmaker Henrietta Corbett who, in February, will be leading a weekend workshop on Silk Aquatint,” said Laura.
“Gill Hobson, who is a Ropewalk studio artist, also returns the same month with a development of her ever popular Glass Light Catchers workshops where students will be shown how to make their own unique 3D lantern in coloured glass,” she went on.
In March, Alison Walling will be showing how to make garden structures (an obelisk in the morning and a fan trellis or mini-border hurdle in the afternoon) from willow.
The same month sees the return of a popular workshop, Life Drawing, led by another Ropewalk studio artist Richard Hatfield that is both suitable for the beginner and for those artists who want to refresh their skills.
In addition, in April there is the opportunity to decorate a pre-made bird box which would make an ideal Spring table decoration or an inside wall decoration.
“In our feedback surveys many of our customers asked if we could include the price of materials in the workshop costs, so from January all our workshop prices include the costs of all materials used on the day unless otherwise stated,” Laura continued.
A full list of all the workshops from January to June can be found on www.the-ropewalk.co.uk/workshops along with information on how to book.
Throughout the summer in the Box Gallery we are showcasing work from makers who are influenced by the sea.
Featuring in Coastal are ceramics by Tregear Pottery from the Isle of Wight, Rebecca Harvey from St Ives, Pru Green from Essex and Dianne Cross from Yorkshire. A new collection of work by Tony Bellars of King’s Lynn brings a bright splash of colour, looking at his fishing boats and gulls you can almost smell the salt air and hear the unmistakable cry of the gull.
This month in the Box Gallery we are celebrating everything nautical with a range of makers from around the UK. Their pieces aim to represent the fun of the ocean and the curious creatures that live within it.
We have a range of ceramics and prints to transport you back to the seaside or give you gift inspiration for that perfect someone who is never far from the beach. So why not come and visit the Craft Gallery today and start your holiday early with a piece from our exhibition, transforming your home into your very own seaside escape.
Here are just a few of the pieces we have on offer in the exhibition.
You are probably wondering why we have a boat within the Box Gallery exhibition!
Not only does it match this month’s nautical theme in the gallery it also promotes Barton’s Heritage Open Days and the free tours taking place from September 14 to September 22 in the neighbouring Barton Haven Shipyard.
Don’t forget to book your free ticket today along with many more events on offer at The Ropewalk.
Selected by Rob Moore and Melvyn Petterson, this biennial exhibition aims to show the best of our region’s printmakers.
Situated on the rugged south coast of the Isle of Wight, Tregear Pottery produces a beautiful range of handmade stoneware pottery. Each piece is made from fine white stoneware clay. The work is hand decorated in a variety of designs – all drawing their inspiration and influences from the exceptional beauty of the surrounding landscapes.
Trained in Kyoto, Japan, in porcelain throwing, Neil’s passion for pottery has seen his work travel across the globe. He continually pushes and challenges the work at Tregear Pottery, refining glazes, developing new designs and expanding the studio. Neil has been awarded with a number of grants, international show selections, and other accolades for the quality of his work. The work is sold in several galleries and shops on the Isle of Wight as well as many well-known outlets across the mainland and now at The Ropewalk. Come in to the Craft Gallery during the month of June and admire the coastal bliss that Neil Tregear’s pottery creates.
Noted brings together artists Lou Hazelwood and Sarah Pennington for the first time, as they negotiate similar interests in the mechanisation of music and roles of women.
Hazelwood’s piece in progress ‘La Boheme/I’ve Got Her Disease Inside My Head’ transposes pianola scores to playable music boxes working with the oppositional themes of the female bohemian and hysteric.
Pennington has constructed a series of new sculptural observations and print works through a combination of historical research and material experimentation with player piano rolls and remnants of piano mechanisms.
This exhibition showcases the initial findings of their separate but related research into, and interventions with, the structures of pianos and pianolas, and social situations surrounding their key periods of use.
If you are interested in following these processes of exploration as they continue to unfold, please visit www.facebook.com/Noted
Rachel Morley creates unique felt items by hand using the wet felt method. The natural colours and shapes of the Scottish coastal landscape have inspired the Pebble range or Doorstops, Cubby Bowls, Cubbyholes and Pebble Pods. Rachel experiments with wool fibres from British breeds of sheep to take advantage to their varying qualities. As a contrast, Rachel enjoys the challenges of felting with a broad colour palette to create the colourful range of bowls.
Rachel’s aim is to elevate felt craft to create innovate products for the interior, echoing organic forms of the coastal landscape. Her fine art background brings a very sculptural feel to her work which is tactile and evocative.
Rachel has a Fine Art Degree and Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Feltmaking. She is a member of the international Feltmakers Association and Design Nation. She is a supporter of the campaign for Wool and member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Rachel works from a studio in Hickling a village situated between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray. Come in to the Craft Gallery during the month of May and admire the Scottish bliss Rachel Morley felt pieces create.
