- Venue
- South Hams Arts Forum at the Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey
- Starts
- Friday, June 17, 2022
- Ends
- Sunday, June 19, 2022
- Address
- Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9TZ
- Location
- South West England
- Organiser
- South Hams Arts Forum
South Hams Art Forum, Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Festival
Eight members of the South Hams Arts Forum (SHAF) will for the first time be showcasing their work to represent the organisation in the ‘Makers and Materials’ area of the annual Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Festival. The event runs from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 June 2022, opening from 10 am – 5 pm. Members will be on hand throughout the weekend to talk about the artist-led organisation, and to offer demonstrations of how they work.
Responding to elements of the natural environment, Charlotte Dalrymple-Hay’s contemporary classivc silver jewellery often include lightly hammered surfaces and semi-precious stones. After Lou Griffiths (New Ember Designs) discovered the exciting new canvas of wood and wood burning, she began creating unique sustainable wood-burnt homeware, artwork and timeless pieces inspired by her love of nature. All of Lou’s pieces have a practical use within the home, and her motto is ‘Art With A Purpose’.
Photographer, printmaker and Dartmoor walking guide Nigel Grist is inspired by wildlife, landscape and abstract themes and work with linocut, collagraph and etching printmaking techniques. Nigel says, “Many of my prints use more than one technique – for example an etching combined with a collagraph. I’ll have a number of plates and final prints on show and I hope to be demonstrating some aspects of cutting and printing a linocut plate and the various materials and tools required.”
Printmaker and textile artist Rebecca White takes inspiration from the Devon landscape, and there will be examples of her lino print plates on show. The final printmaker is Emma Cook whose colourful collagraphs with embellishments of beads, metal and threads are inspired by the coastline. Her work is characterised by circle forms and a palette of rich blues and greens.
Contemporary textile artist Sheila Kettle creates two main bodies of work in wonderfully vibrant woven and hand felted formats using a wide range of hand dyed textured materials, fibres and threads, all influenced by Devon’s wild, open countryside and its dramatic coastline. During the event Sheila will be on hand to give a demonstration with tips and hints on the woven aspect of her work followed by the opportunity to participate in simple weaving methods.
Ed Hill creates bespoke animal sculptures using recycled metal. Ed says, “All my materials are sourced from Plymouth and surrounding South Devon. I predominantly use metal objects donated to charity shops, but I also gather metal from farms, bike shops, industrial estates and house clearances. This makes each sculpture bespoke and sometimes with sentimental value too.”
Rachel O’Connell (ROCWORX) completes the line up. Marble Artist and leather worker Rachel works with sustainable, ethically sourced materials, using traditional heritage craft skills and tools. Her design processes are slow and considered, producing unique pieces for the home to last a lifetime. Her ink marbling, while abstract, is inspired by the beautiful coast and Dartmoor.
SHAF is an active collective of over 100 artists and crafts people from across the South Hams, and has grown steadily since its foundation in 2000. SHAF mounts an annual Arts Trail during the second half of October which extends across the region, as well as exhibition opportunities for its members. For those wishing to join SHAF when visiting the event, there will be a special membership price of £15.
