Incidental Imagery – 23rd-28th Nov 2015

Clouds of images, angels of delight, shimmering foil milk bottle top sculptures, shadowy shapes, exquisite fused glass Christmas tree decorations, jewel-like mosaics of colourful ceramics, hand painted wrapping papers and intriguing incidentals, this show delivers something for everyone.

For their seventh exhibition together Incidental Imagery are creating artful shimmering shadows with a look at both the light-hearted and the darker side of life. Jan O’Highway, Vicki Gardner, Gill Greatorex and Verity Newman offer quirky, playful art at Birdwood House Gallery, Totnes from Monday 23rd to Saturday 28 November 10-5pm.

On offer is a unique blend of experimental and traditional techniques. The twist that binds the group together is concern for the environment and love of the fascinating, but largely unnoticed little things in life.

In addition to her dichroic glass and silver jewellery, unique fused glass tree decorations and fabulous hand-printed wrapping papers, Jan O’Highway is exhibiting larger glass panels and ceramic mosaics. “A painterly approach to the luscious colours and tactile nature of clay and glass informs my work”. Fused over multiple repeat firings, the layers of reactive glazes and fused glass develop a rich brilliance enhanced by the reflective and transparent qualities of glass, casting shimmering shadows of colour onto the surrounding surfaces.

Award winning photographer, Vicki Gardner is enthused by nature; frequently highlighting the common, overlooked things around us that we so often take for granted. Recently Vicki has been looking up for inspiration. Her fascination with the weather, particularly extreme weather, and clouds has seen her looking skywards over recent months. Little fluffy clouds, big black clouds and all in between play a part in Vicki’s imagery for this exhibition. “Clouds continuously pass across our skies, creating shadows on the earth below and painting the skies with their ethereal beauty”.

To every light side there is a dark side. Gill Greatorex’s voyeur models are in stark contrast to the light catching, colourful shimmering foil milk bottle tops she has fashioned into lampshades, necklaces, sculptures and screens. The shadows cast by the bottle top shade are light relief to the half-hidden shadowy world of her Voyeur’s Advent Calendar depicting distorted and curious female mannequins. “I’m rather obsessed with the incidentals of life; the rainbow colours of oil spilt on rain soaked tarmac, discarded twinkly sweet wrappers, road kill squashed drinks cans and plastic caught in hedges”.

Verity Newman is a sculptor working mainly in clay and occasionally mixed media. Her work is mostly figurative. For this exhibition she will be exploring the shadow worlds of myth and fable. Verity is fascinated by the prehistoric and her work is rendered all the more enigmatic by lack of written explanation. Mysteries and images such as the Chimera and the Sphinx are a constant enquiry. “I am interested in ancient cultures such as the Minoan, enjoy classical Indian sculpture, and also intrigued by familiar figures such as angels and the White Rabbit!”

The art on display offers not only a visual feast, but also mental stimulation; gently nudging the viewer to consider the environment and the little things in life from different perspectives. Visitors to previous exhibitions have been inspired by the work:

“Absolutely gorgeous”, “Quirky and very different exhibits”, “Fires the imagination”, “Delightfully unusual”, Delicious in every way”, “Magic world, so many lovely things. Love the meeting and the beauty of the sacred and the profane, the natural and the rubbish”.

Incidental Imagery welcome school and other groups by arrangement.