Paintings Prints Sculpture Glass Textiles Jewellery Ceramics Cards

The artworks have been selected to be a pleasure to look at, to possess, or to give as very special presents.

For the Christmas period each year The Gallery presents a mixed exhibition of fine art and craftwork of the usual high standard but priced affordably.

This year it is a delight and an honour to welcome Juliette Purdy to Present Arts. She is becoming well known for her figurative ceramics, particularly her studies of swimmers - those who swim for pleasure rather than a place on the olympic team!

Ceramics also include work which will be familiar to regular visitors to The Gallery. Lustrous stoneware and porcelain by Margaret Gardiner contrast with pieces which are colourful and usable by Marylin Andreetti and Aila Simpson. Caroline Avey and Angelka Hinton show decorative pieces and Rosella Schembri, new to The Gallery, is exhibiting pieces which are both useful and decorative.

For the first time The Gallery is exhibiting textile works by Jill Leech who uses mixed media including low relief woodcarving, rag rugging, hooking and locker hook techniques. Jill’s working themes tend to revolve around nature, pattern and architecture. Also included in the exhibition are textiles by Lucie Pritchard who makes useful pieces decorated with intriguing texts.

Works of art in glass worked with various different techniques are being shown including pieces from the studios at Parndon Mill by Karen Murphy, Ewa Wawrzyniak and Dominique Conte. Glass will also feature in the range of jewellery exhibited, often combined with silver. Rita Lampen, another resident Parndon Mill artist exhibits her delicate jewellery which combines silver and semi-precious stones.

Paintings and prints vary widely from colourful abstracts by Jean Noble to detailed plant studies by Harlow artist, Richard Brown.

This exhibition is a pleasure to look at an offers the opportunity to acquire that very special present.