Three Artists from the Marches

Three artists from the Marches bring together their work in ceramics and paintings with pictures of local landscapes, plants, dragonflies, circuses and dancers. The exhibition opens on November 5 and there is a meet the artist event on November 7, 2pm to 4pm, in the Oriel and Caffi Celf is open. The exhibition runs until November 28.

Ruth Kirkby

Ruth Kirkby’s diverse job history includes working as a bi-lingual PA, a potter, a modern foreign languages teacher and more lately botanical illustrator.  Tutored by Moya Davern, with Aberystwyth University, she has won RHS Silver Medals in 2012 and 2013, and a Gold Medal at RHS Linley Hall for her collection of illustrations of Siberian Iris in 2014.  She runs courses in watercolour from time to time on landscape, flowers and fruit painting.

More recently she has changed from watercolour to working in oils, enjoying the painterly qualities of that particular medium in depicting the everchanging seasons around her in the Marches. Largely an auto-didact, she is intrigued by the completely different challenges of painting in oils, particularly the effect one coat of paint has on another.

June Coveney

I was born and educated in Aberdeen (Grays School of Art).  In the past, I have mostly used oils, seeking to convey the movement of musicians, circus acrobats or dancers.  In 2018 I got interested in dragonflies.  Keen to give an impression of what life would be like in its short-lived adult stage for such an incredibly fragile, intricately beautiful insect, I turned to pen and ink with gouache (using a new  method).  Now, anchored in lockdown, I have turned back to oils and to our landscape in spring and autumn.

Mary Smith

Mary Smith Trained as a sculptor, I am a modeller and thrower, not a carver or constructor. I like to explore clay, pushing it to the limits of thinness and stability. In consequence the forms I produce vary widely from balancing, acrobatic figures, to precise plant decorated porcelain bowls and lately, to large, stoneware pieces for the garden.
Each work is a one off. I make what I like and how I like and I am just pleased if others like them too.