Exhibition: Susan Law-Webb

Exhibition review by Steve Dean

I’m sure one of the first things that struck all those who paid a visit to Susan Law-Webb’s exhibition at the Art Waves gallery in Nile Street last week would have been the sheer variety of her work. From charcoal on paper to oil on canvas, there was much to keep a visitor entertained. A most genial person, Sue received her fine art BA with honours from Reading University and thence spent 18 years as a farmer’s wife before becoming an art teacher.

One-woman shows and exhibitions of her work have been held regularly throughout the last four decades and she has enjoyed numerous commissions. Beginning her career painting landscapes, this fine display ably demonstrated where she is at, so to speak, right now. Her father was a classical scholar, leading to Sue becoming learned as such herself, pursuing a study of Greek and Celtic myths. This is handsomely reflected in her charcoal and handmade paper drawings; which include mainly scenes from the Greek myths. Venus and Neptune; Acis and Galatea; Leda and the Swan, amongst others, can all be found here.

There are are also works in glass cases, monoprints, watercolours of scenes in France and a most intriquingly charming mixed media (paper, oil paint and modrock) representation of a scene in Marseilles. As she says herself, a certain narrative content is evident in all her work and her pictures are a most eclectic mix; featuring elements as diverse as three-dimensional marionette puppets actually sitting in the painting to quasi-Picasso-ish self portraits to Aboriginal symbolism.

At the opening night, Sue also proved herself to be a talented poetess; reciting two poems taken from her small book of verse, ‘The Invisible Monkey’; receiving a very warm ovation from the appreciative guests and visitors. Susan Law-Webb can be contacted on 01782 746918.

Artwaves & Bizfizz presents Six Senses - an opportunity for artists

What is our vision?
The forthcoming ‘ Six Senses’ exhibition is to be staged at Trentham
Gardens from 17th-24th August 2008. This is an exciting and rare
opportunity for artists of all disciplines to come together to showcase their
talents.

The many thousands of visitors to these stunning grounds will leave this
exhibition experiencing a complete stimuli to the senses. Beautiful music,
engaging poetry, bewitching dance, dramatic drama, tactile sculpture, visu-
ally aesthetic and conceptually provoking art. We perceive a diverse and in-
teractive content which will excite all who encounter this event.

The 5 senses with which the body perceives an external stimulus - Sight,
smell, hearing, taste, and touch; along side the unexplainable 6th sense, a
supposed intuitive faculty giving awareness not explicable in terms of
normal perception.

This is the criteria that your art needs to encompass.

For full information and application pack email jag.artmaju@btinternet.com

Facescape

A new community project aimed at giving the people of Stoke-on-Trent the chance to be heard needs your support to celebrate the diversity of the City through its people.

FaceScape is an ambitious, inclusive community arts project developed by a local artist to give the whole community an opportunity to represent itself at this pivotal moment in the City of Stoke-on-Trent’s story, requiring no more than a photograph of your face, and your personal reflections on the City you call home and the community around you.



The only part of the photograph that will be used will be the face itself – hence the name: a central square that shows the eyes nose and mouth. That is because it’s not about your hairstyle, fashion sense or your social status: it’s about you as a human being; as a member of this community. These cropped photographs will form part of a huge montage of faces that will build up into a massive image that will represent the wider community in all its diversity, which will go on display at the Burslem School of Art throughout June, before touring the contributing communities as smaller montages specific to that area, where you can rise to the challenge of finding your own image among your friends, family and neighbours. Still very much an individual, but an individual within a strong community of individuals.

There is only so much that a picture can say, though, and the second part of the project will be a series of journals where those people who have already contributed their image can contribute their thoughts, reflections and memories: a snapshot of life in the communities of the city in 2008. These could be copies of photographs, documents – in fact anything that can be pasted, written or drawn onto a sheet of paper, and assistance will be offered to those who need it to make sure that anyone who has something to say has the opportunity to say it, within the realms of common decency.

In addition, there will be a series of journals to which each participant will be encouraged to contribute: whether a written thought or a copy of a photograph, newspaper cutting, or indeed any memory that can be permanently pasted into the journals to create a more complete, more personal documentary record of the city.

Informal sittings are currently being arranged at both Port Vale and Stoke City Football Clubs, the Potteries Centre, Stoke-on-Trent Museum, The Burslem School of Art among others, and all are welcome so bring the whole family. And if you’re arranging a social event over April orearly May and think it’s something that FaceScape should be involved with, email Amanda Wright at facescape @ gmail.com.

For details of dates and events as they are finalised, or to show your support, visit www.facescape.co.uk, myspace.com/facescape or facescape2008.blogspot.com

What do our backstamps mean?

In July, the Made in England mosaic was unveiled at the Potteries Museum. Its website is a rich resource of potteries history and reference material. Here, with kind permission from artist Emma Biggs, we bring you some extracts of the site. Explore more at
www.made-in-england.net

by Phil Rowley

Many people born in the Potteries have a history of family members working in the industry. To us, it is second nature to turn over a piece of pottery of a type or pattern we haven’t seen before to look at the backstamp.

It often surprises visitors to discover just how much information you can find by looking at a backstamp, with a little help from a standard reference book. This example has been randomly selected from the mosaic.

Maker:
The maker’s mark is B. G. & W.
Geoffrey Godden’s ‘Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks’ is probably the most useful reference book with which to research your backstamp: any UK reference library should have a copy.

Godden tells us that the abbreviation above stands for Bates, Gildea & Walker. The company operated the Dale Hall Works in Burslem between 1878 and 1881, making earthenware and china. It was formerly Bates, Walker & Co and subsequently became Gildea & Walker.

As this factory only operated for three years under the Bates, Gildea & Walker name, we are able to date the ware with great accuracy. Please note, however, that many longer-lived factories changed their marks over the years. It is often possible to place a piece within a limited period by comparing the mark with the examples in Godden.

Occasionally a mark may not be found in Godden or its origin may seem uncertain. Unfortunately, there are many small or short-lived factories for which no data is available. In such a case, keep looking in every reference book you can find and try posting a query on one of the antiques news-groups.

Pattern name:
Godden notes that the pattern name was often used alongside the mark. In this case we can be reasonably sure the pattern name was ‘Satsuma’. This fits the date, as there was a Victorian vogue for Japanese style at the time.

Registration mark:
The diamond-shape is a Victorian registration mark. This system was used from 1842 - 1881 as a means of protecting a particular pattern (or shape of ware) from piracy. It was a system also taken up by foreign manufacturers, so the presence of a lozenge does not guarantee a British origin.

Two types of diamond were in operation, which makes a reference book essential in order to decipher the code. This is a ‘right-hand’ diamond, telling us the pattern was registered on 27th August 1879, and confirming the factory date.
In 1884 a simpler system came into use. It is based on numbers, and it is still in use today. Godden gives a short table of first numbers for a range of years: for precise information it is necessary to consult the registration details in the archives of the Patent Office.

Other marks and indications:
Here, you can see the impressed mark ‘7/80’. The most likely interpretation of these numbers is that the piece was produced in the raw state in July 1880. If pottery is kept in store for long periods between firings it can absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which may cause faults in later firings. For this reason it was useful for the factory to know when the ware was produced.

Sometimes, numbers and letters may be painted on, or impressed into the ware. In some cases, they may refer to the shape of the ware or indicate a pattern number. In others, they could be an individual worker’s mark used to ensure they were paid for the work they had done. Impressed marks have to be made while the body is still soft - before the ware has been fired at all. This means they usually don’t refer to a pattern, as the same ware might have any of a number of designs applied later.
The word ‘England’ normally indicates a date after 1891. ‘Made in England’ indicates a 20th century date. The country of manufacture was stated after an American law was introduced requiring imported goods to be so marked.

Crazing:
Another characteristic of this piece of ware is that the glaze is crazed.
In Europe crazing is considered a serious fault, but in the east ware was sometimes deliberately crazed to imitate earlier, prized wares.

What is Art? by John Webbe

Ask yourself, or even ask the person nearest to you now, what is art all about?

I found a definition on t’internet which informs me that art is “the organisation of sense impressions into pleasurable formal relations that expresses the artist’s sensibility and communicates to his/her audience a sense of values that can transform their lives”. Okay, well, that’s that, then. But what about the definition of art?

My well-thumbed desk-top Collins English Dictionary informs me that art is “human skill as opposed to nature; creative skill in painting, music, etc; any of the works produced thus; profession, craft”. This is all fine too, but I believe that art in all forms is, and has to be, subjective. In other words, art is based on your own personal feelings, and you will clearly have an opinion on that.

You could ask “what do you, Mr Regeneration Manager Person for Touchstone, know about art?” Excellent question, to which I would say, very little, to be honest. But I do know that I love photography, I don’t think I’m any good at it, but that, I would argue, is totally irrelevant. I love simply taking part & trying my best. And to coin parts of two well known phrases, it’s the taking part that counts; and all you can do is your best.

But let’s get back to the original question – what is art all about? Whether you think of art as a painting, sculpture, photograph, performance, literature, music, or creative design, you will no doubt have an opinion. Whether the artwork is in a gallery, in someone’s home, or in the street as public art, again, it is likely you will have an opinion on it. This opinion might be positive, negative, or somewhere in the middle.

But can I ask you this question – does it really matter? I ask this question with total respect for that opinion because whether it’s your own opinion, or someone else’s, I would suggest the fact that people are actually talking about art is in itself what art is all about. Art is there to please, to provoke, to be controversial, to make people think, to get people talking, to encourage people to write letters to Local Edition, to get people visiting galleries and shops, and to open your eyes to your own thoughts. Next time you walk past a piece of art, stop, look at the work, what is it all about, think about it, but most of all enjoy it. Maybe you could even have a go yourself?

How to feel like Wedgwood in less than an hour

Pamela Wells gathered 101 people living or working in the Potteries to design a set of four bowls inspired by pieces in the collection of the Potteries Museum. Clare-Marie White, not well known for her artistic skills, had a go

FLICKING through centuries of pottery genius, I have to say I felt a bit daunted. Unlike everyone in the city over forty, the feel of clay isn’t very familiar to me and I can’t even draw a line without people laughing.

So to go from that to a vision of a fully formed design within an hour was an impressive piece of guidance by Pamela. While my mind was as blank as the freshly handmade bowls, she said many people came with strong ideas of what they want to achieve and these developed into something different as they worked together.
It has been working with all these different people with their starting points that will created a diverse tapestry of dishes at the exhibition running between October 23 to 17 November.

Pamela has been developing the project for nearly six years. Originally from California, she now lives in Wolverhampton and has become fascinated by the ongoing relationship that people in the Potteries have with the industry.

She had a very positive response as the project developed and she says: “It seemed that Stoke-on-Trent was hungry for a project like this.”

After the exhibition, participants are asked to hold a meal with three people they don’t live with, all of whom will get one of the bowls, scattering our work across the world just as previous potters have done before us.

The experience was an exciting one, showing that even the person who thinks they have nothing creative to offer can be involved, echoing, of course, the thousands of workers in the pottery industry over the years.

It also showed the power of collaboration – even though all of us developed our ideas into a practical dish to make, we will undoubtedly all love the finished product.

My Art: by by Steven Dean

‘Unique Abstract Imagery’ is printed on my calling card and it is an accurate description of my aims as a modern artist. A resident of Stoke-on-Trent since 1988, I have ‘drawn pictures’ since early childhood. My previous adventures with canvas had always been landscapes in oils; although I spent a few years prior to that producing surreal images in water colours and pencil, pen, and ink.

A chance meeting with successful modern artist Billy James in Coffs Harbour, Australia, last year made me decide to try abstract images in acrylics myself. Billy advised that the secret of an interesting abstract picture is in its application; the more energy the finished image contains, the more a viewer appreciates the image’s appearance.

I do my best to instil a certain degree of vibrancy in every picture created; endeavouring to make them ‘buzz’ as much as possible. When considering which abstract path to take, I recalled an incident at school nearly 40 years ago; when one of a new wave of art teachers straight from university shook our art department to its crumbling old foundations with his fresh, modern ideas. Compared to the other art masters, who, deeply steeped in tradition, absolutely hated him, he was a breath of fresh air; and I developed the technique I use today in the time spent under his tutelage; a technique he encouraged with great enthusiasm. To my regret, I cannot find his name anywhere on my memory’s dusty shelves; but he himself will never be forgotten.

My images on display so far at the Burslem Arts shop were painted over a period of two months spent earlier this year in Fremantle, Western Australia. A great place to be; although it looks like Burslem could be at the cutting edge of art in the not-too-distant future – and why not?

The spirit of art is embedded imperishably in its very infrastructure, it has the heritage to achieve the kudos it so richly deserves.

The Bizfizz effect in action: Rob Pointon

It's all very well being really good at something, but can you make money from it? Less than six months ago, Rob Pointon was just another talented artist wondering whether he’d ever make a living from his painting.

Now, with a string of commissions from local businesses, he has become one of the best showcases for the Mother Town’s new network of trade and art. He credits Carolyn Powell with giving him the belief that he could make it as an artist. “She came up to me while I was painting on the street in Burslem. You could tell she genuinely believed I could do something.”

Rob is confident in his own ability and hard working, but also modest and
unnassuming. He came to Burslem with no more desire than to paint, with no idea of the network of trade that bubbles behind a town that many have written off.
A spot at the Burslem Arts and Crafts Festival followed and now Rob’s paintings are frequently descibed in the Burslem Arts shop as ‘investments’ – high praise for such a young artist and two have already been snapped up. A show at Leek was a sell-out.

His unusual style of paintings often gives the effect of a fish-eye lens and people often assume, incorrectly, they are done from photographs. Rob is an expert on perspective and lectured in it before leaving art college in London. Like many before him, he found his talent was recognised, but that didn’t necessarily mean the money followed. As you’ll only discover from him website, Prince Charles has one of his paintings, but “he didn’t pay for it. It was a condition of the course I was on that he could have the painting free of charge if he wanted it.”

As an old fashioned painter with an obvious love for the scenes of Burslem, Rob is now working on paintings for several local shops, restaurants and businesses.
Beyond painting, he is able to turn his hand to illustrations, graphics and cartoons, all with very distinctive styles. The Bizfizz panel provided the starting point for Rob’s new business. Looking at his paintings and his series of cartoons for Stoke City’s programme, they brainstormed pages of ideas for revenue-raising.

Today, you’ll normally find him working away in some corner of Burslem, juggling a range of projects, from animations for Junction 15 in collaboration with Karen Sayle of Big Red Animation, a Christmas card for one of Staffordshire’s biggest businesses, a cartoon for Local Edition, logos for different companies and a series of commissions for Staffordshire Housing. All at once.

It means his exhibition planned for November in the School of Art has taken a new turn, when he will celebrate the network of businesses that have given him his first big break and turned him from an artist who was praised into one who could
create a real business.

He will not forget that it was the simple but convincing message from the Bizfizz coach that gave him the convidence to start his business.

“Carolyn was the first person who really had faith that I could be self-employed.”
Rob’s work can be seen in Local Edition, at www.robpointon.co.uk and at Burslem Arts, 7 Queen Street, Burslem.

A directory of Bizfizz clients has been produced for the 4 October event: call 525570 to enquire about availavility.