Avocet Gallery 4th Anniversary show
April 25, 2013
‘Slapton View’ by Caroline Raffan. Painted and fused glass panel
I visited the Avocet Gallery the other day to have a look at their current show which they have put on to celebrate their 4th anniversary (fantastic news that they have reached this milestone) and I wasn’t disappointed with what I saw.
The first thing that caught my eye was this painted and fused glass panel ‘Slapton View’ by Caroline Raffan. It is hanging in the conservatory part of the gallery where we were sitting having our hot drinks and cake (more about that later) as you are allowed to bring a dog into this part of the gallery. My dog loves it there as he gets loads of cuddles!
Anyway I digress. I have no real clue where the landscape is, I’ve never heard of ‘Slapton View’ but I could sit and look at the panel for a long, long time. I love the way that you can just about see the sea between the two far away hills.
There is another panel by the same artist ‘Apple Trees’ in the other room of the gallery. I’m finding at the moment that I am very drawn to things with trees in them, I think its as I’m planning a few ‘tree based’ pieces of my own so it is always at the front of my mind when I go anywhere.
‘Apple Tree’ by Caroline Raffan, fused and painted glass panel
Another piece that took my eye is ‘Owl and Twigs’ by Emily Goddard, sadly my photo does not do the piece justice (apologies for that its the reflections you know, and yes that is me in the reflection!). In real life the blue is really intense and the barn owl just pops out at you.
‘Owl and twigs’ by Emily Goddard
Sometimes I like work just because I like it, I have no further explanation. This is one of those times. ‘Dungeness Colours III’ by Geoff Cooke is something that I just like, the colours and textures appeal and I can’t quite put my finger on why.
‘Dungeness Colours III’ by Geoff Cooke
Last but by no means least, the cake recommendation this visit is the Apple and Walnut upside down cake. Thoroughly recommended by both my mum and myself (it was actually her slice I just ‘stole’ a corner) and 100% homemade, if you go to the gallery do try it.
Apple and Walnut upside down cake
Once again a lovely selection of work by Peter and Morgan, if you’re in the Rye Harbour area go check it out , its a lovely friendly gallery. This exhibition runs until 12th May 2013 and the gallery is open Thursday to Sunday, 10.30am – 5.30pm, for further information visit the Avocet Gallery website.
If you do visit do come back and tell me what you thought and which piece was your favourite.
Jutta M Stiller is a wood carver and sculptor specialising in Netsuke and Couture frames click here to subscribe to her newsletter ‘Tales From the Woodcarving Bench’ .
Comments (0) | Tags: art exhibition, Avocet Gallery, Avocet Gallery and Tea Room, Caroline Raffan, Emily Goddard, Geoff Cooke
A carved wood George and Dragon for St George’s Day
April 23, 2013
‘George and Dragon’ by Norbert Stiller (my dad) carved wood and silver gilded.
Just a little something to share as it is St George’s Day today.
My dad, Norbert Stiller, carved this as a part of his diploma when he was, I think, 16. He said that he had an argument with his tutor about it as he didn’t want to gild it but the tutor made him. I have no idea what wood was used.
It stands about 4 feet tall to the tip of the spear.
Jutta M Stiller is a wood carver and sculptor specialising in Netsuke and Couture frames click here to subscribe to her newsletter ‘Tales From the Woodcarving Bench’ .
Comments (0) | Tags: carving, George and Dragon, Norbert Stiller, sculpture, silver gilding, St George's Day, Stiller Designs, wood carving, wood sculpture, woodcarving
In A Nutshell – Netsuke Exhibition at the Japanese Embassy London
April 18, 2013
In A Nutshell – Netsuke Exhibition leaflet and exhibit list
I was in London for a few hours the other day and took the opportunity to pop into the ‘In A Nutshell’ Exhibition at the Japanese Embassy. I say ‘pop in’ but unless you work round there and can do several short visits it really is worth giving it an hour at least to have a really good look as there are 218 catalogued exhibits to look at.
I had heard about the exhibition from the International Netsuke Society website and forum, it has been organised to coincide with their convention in London (10th – 14th May).
To be honest I have walked past the Japanese Embassy on Piccadilly many times without even realising it was there (its near Green Park Tube station) so it was really nice to have an excuse to go in.
Being an Embassy you need photo ID to gain access to the building and you also have to pass through security scans, though the exhibition is free to visit. There are restrictions in that you are not allowed to take photos (hence the photo with this post being of the flyer and exhibit list!) but this is a minor inconvenience. There are even comfy sofas so that you can sit and mull over what you’ve seen and watch the film on the TV screen.
The exhibition space is lovely and bright and the pieces are arranged so that the majority of them you can see all the way around which is really refreshing as you can fully appreciate all the work that has gone into them. Obviously you can’t see the bases as they are standing on them. I was really impressed by the quality of the work on display.
It is always odd seeing work ‘in the flesh’ when previously you have only seen it in a book or on the internet. I am mostly surprised by the size difference, although the sizes are stated with the photographs I never seem to quite take it in. The photographs are usually close ups which make the work seem huge and can also make larger work and smaller work seem like they are a similar size. For example the first case on the right contains mainly figures and to me they look massive, I sometimes forget that Netsuke come in varying sizes just as do the humans who wear/wore them.
There were several Netsuke that I would have loved to have taken home, had I had the chance to and the money to afford them! Not that these are for sale but the ‘would you take it home’ feeling is one I often use when deciding whether I like something or not. My absolute favourite is number 82 a Kudan carved in wood by Masayoshi, early – mid 19th century, I was just fascinated by the extra eyes on both the head and the body and the fine carving of the hair although I had no idea of what a Kudan is or should look like. I’ve just looked it up and it is a humanoid monster in the legends and folklore of Japan, more research is necessary here I think.
A couple of Tigers caught my eye, number 136 a Tiger carved in wood by Tomokazu, early 19th century, looked really strokeable, you know that you’d be able to feel the fur when you held it in your hand. Also number 139 a Tiger carved in Ivory by Sekiran nanjuroku (sai) (Sekiran at the age of 76), mid 19th century, I really loved his eyes and the, I can only call it a cat like grin on his face. If you see it you’ll know what I mean.
I was immensely pleased to see a piece by British Carver Michael Webb displayed (203 Frog on Lily Pads carved in wood, 1982) as I am a fan of his work and have been lucky enough to hold a couple of his pieces. His work is very intricate and you can really see the time that has gone into the creation.
The run of 9 snail Netsuke in a row was a lovely display choice, it looked almost like they were all sleeping on a wall in the garden.
If you have read the book ‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’ by Edmund de Waal, that hare is on display in this exhibition. Although I must say, not sure how controversial I am being here, that I actually prefer the photos of it to the actual piece. If you go and have a look at the exhibition do let me know what you think. It is in the display case directly opposite the poster featuring the hare.
Through visiting this exhibition I have confirmed to myself that I prefer the animal subjects to the humans and also have discovered that I am really drawn to the more highly carved pieces.
Would I recommend that you go see the exhibition? Yes I do, it is a really nice exhibition showing a wide variety of subjects and one of the few places where you can see all the way around the majority of the pieces. Whether you have seen Netsuke before or not if you are anywhere near the Embassy go and have a look.
The exhibition is open Mon – Fri (not bank holidays) 9.30 – 17.30 at the Japanese Embassy, Piccadilly, London. For further details visit the Japanese Embassy website.
If you do go, do come back and tell me what you thought of it. I’d love to hear about it…..
Jutta M Stiller is a wood carver and sculptor specialising in Netsuke and Couture frames click here to subscribe to her newsletter ‘Tales From the Woodcarving Bench’ .