Our fifth viewing room presentation brings together the work of Suffolk based sculptor Roger Hardy with Norfolk-based wood turner and craftsman Tim Plunkett. We will also be showing a small collection of ceramics by Laura Huston. Tim and Roger use wood directly in their work whilst Laura takes inspiration for her ceeramic forms.
Tim Plunkett uses wood from fallen trees from the many landowners and farmers across East Anglia that surround his studio located in the countryside inland from Cromer. He produces elegant, functional pieces that highlights the beauty of natural wood using graceful, uncluttered lines, for daily use in the kitchen and at the dining table.
With a BSc in Environmental Science and involvement in direct action opposing the destruction of ancient forests and cultures, it is important to Tim that all his work is made from sustainably supplied, locally sourced wood. Entirely self-taught and thoughtfully shaped through the process of precision product development – his work has found a receptive audience.
The starting point for Roger Hardy's creative process begins with natural erosion and seasoning of his wooden component parts, often in the local river, the Alde in Suffolk, that brings a sense of worn age to the finished sculptures or construction.
His sculptures made using found elements from local boat yards and estuary worn wood, have the sense of being carved long ago. Roger uses the natural processes in the degradation of his materials to simplify the essence of the human form. Roger has begun a new body of woodcut prints that we will be showing some examples of in this showcase.
Norfolk based ceramist Laura Huston's work is rooted in an exploration of her own cultural heritage, inherited myth, memory, and the interweaving of ritual and beauty. In her quest to find meaning in a secular world that often feels stripped of ritual, reverence, and deep connection she is drawn to the quiet language of objects that resonate beyond their physical form, speaking to a symbolic or even sacramental dimension of human experience.
Most pieces are unique due to spontaneity in the making and chance events in the kiln. Consequently some pieces are unrepeatable. But it is this unknowing alchemy and freedom that drives the work in new directions. Laura's pieces are wheel thrown, sometimes manipulated and continued by hand, using coils. To some a coloured slip is applied and patterns carved into the surface to reveal the clay beneath; a process called 'sgraffito'. With others a mixture of slips and glazes are used to achieve depth of texture and colour. Various types of clay are used which give diverse qualities to the finished pieces from smooth and precise to rough and weathered, like worn stone.
OPENING TIMES
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: 11am to 4pm
SATURDAY: 11am to 2pm
OR BY APPOINTMENT AT OTHER TIMES.
