A distinctive exhibition at Kendal Museum this month (March) will feature the work of three very different artists collaborating on an exciting project.
From the Earth will show the work of ceramicist Roger Bell; Gordon Baddeley, who works with old wood; and mixed media artist Jake Baddeley.
The exhibition, from March 19 to April 24, aims to inform and entertain, showing the links between the disciplines in which the three artists work. “Though varied (wood, clay, paint and mixed media) they have links in that they all use materials derived from the earth, and all seek to find a middle ground between abstraction and figurative representation,” say the organisers.
Carol Davies, Curator at Kendal Museum, said: “It is a delight to have such an array of stunning work by these three talented artists in one exhibition at Kendal Museum. Although the pieces are quite different, they all have the earth at their core and we hope people will come along to appreciate their individual skills.”
The exhibition is welcomed by the Kendal Business Improvement District whose manager, Sarah Williams, said: “It is really exciting to see internationally renowned artists bringing their work here to show in Kendal. There is so much here in the town for visitors to see.”
Photography by Ben Goulter
Roger Bell is a ceramicist with considerable experience in the arts. His own work in clay has developed over time in terms of subject and technique. He is well known in the pottery world for his ceramic work and for his regular reviews of books relating to this broad and varied discipline. He has also been the proprietor of two art galleries.
Photography by Ben Goulter
Roger uses a process which can incorporate wood, metal or textiles within a fired-clay form. He has recently worked on the standard shape of jig-saw pieces, evolving this towards the form of trees, buildings, animals and alphabet letters. He often seeks to combine architectural shape with practical applications, as in the cactus holders derived from various slab structures.
Gordon Baddeley works with old wood, mainly root systems which have been in the ground for a considerable time. Working with the grain, he produces sculptures which are mainly abstract, but often take on an organic quality. He is concerned to produce shapes which are elegant and finely finished, but which take their character from the nature and grain system of the wood itself. He likes to think of his work as a reincarnation, identifying and enhancing the essential beauty of wood.
Inspired by the Dutch masters, Jake Baddeley started working with oil paint in 1992. He had his first of many solo exhibitions at Jaconde’s Kabinet in The Hague, the success of which established him as a full time painter and was a tribute to the high quality of his technique and perception. He has solo exhibitions in Holland, Germany or France.
Jake draws his inspiration from many sources, essentially Ancient Greece, iconography, mythology, psychology and philosophy. More recently he has developed his symbolic art work to include collage work using mixed media, and it is this aspect of his work on which he would like to focus at this time.
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