Porthmeor Programme, St.Ives School of Painting, at Penwith Gallery, St.Ives March 9-23rd 2019

There are 18 artists in the show, all women, who have been on a year long course consisting of

several weekends at the school and working Inbetween from where they live, receiving tutorials

and paying a considerable amount for the experience.

At first sight the large beautiful gallery at the back of the Penwith looks a bit subdued and quiet but

in fact there is quite a variety of work and it comes over as genuine explorations by keen students

who are not yet set in their ways.

For the Penwith it's unusual in having a sound element to accompany Stephanie Wright’s frieze illustrating 

her experience of a special awareness of a moment, all the more cherished now she has aterminal illness. 

The delicate sweet sound of a nightingale floats through the space, thus permeating the whole of the show.

Also unusual for the ultra conservative Penwith is pile of notebooks arranged on the floor with a

tiny chair and fairy lights, and a padded red coat hanger. This is by Karole Langer

and she cites the influences of beuys, Messenger and Kiefer.

An aspect I really liked was the acknowledgement of influences of other artists which each

exhibitor included in their statements. One had avoided the house style for the statement and I

question why everyone else had accepted this uniformity which deprived them of their individual

way of expressing their ideas.

Roz Hamer had a project to obtain hand prints from members of a village and remarks about how

they used their hands and whether they felt part of a community or not. The hand prints were then

reduced in size to make butterfly shapes, placed as a collection in a glass case. I wasn't sure why

this was done as it brought connotations of Victorian pinning down of dead specimens collected

whereas the project in its social engagement had a more positive feeling.

Susan Watt made a revolving wire object related to her making of toys for her child. I thought it could 

have had more dramatic lighting to throw shadows but it was very likeable and intricate .

Jane Buckroyd had been folding paper with amazing precision to make three dimensional forms in grey and cream

Tara Leaver goes wild swimming.

Most of the artists connected their art to their life experiences. There was also a lot of reference to

places and a lot of sensitive use of marks and surfaces.

Rather like the members' and associates' shows at the Penwith there wasn't much depiction of

people. The Penwithy abstract marks referring loosely to landscape have quite a hold on the art in

St.Ives but many of the students brought different ways of working.

I thought the show was impressive. The tutors have fostered diversity