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

Porthmeor Programme -end of year show.

Porthmeor Programme

This one year programme at the Arts School in St.Ives provides students with time to explore and ends with an exhibition displayed by their tutors, who are varied and it seems open to all sorts of media. One of the students told me she found them encouraging rather than indulging in the stereotyped notion of arts school tutors, mostly in my experience male, who feel it essential to tear into students to test their confidence, and traditionally leave a trail of tears.

The Crypt and Penwith back gallery have recently shown been transformed from their usual quiet display of paintings into rooms giving each artist an individual space, some incorporating use of video and performance. Each has statements on the wall which help to give a way into understanding their intentions.

To me it felt refreshing and interesting. 

Kay Lynn had performed in her space but having missed this I was left with the gestural painted surface indicating movement. This raises the question of whether a video of the performance would have been a good idea or at least some photographs.

Mandi Stewart uses video in ‘R is for Rose, R is for Refugee’ In her installation she contrasts the safety with which roses are transported with the dangers for refugees. This unusual juxtaposition brought fragility to mind and the horror of war in a quietly emotive way.

Seona Myerscough had a video discussing the pros and cons of changing from lawyer to artist in a zany way and paintings of the landscape that captured a crepuscular atmosphere.

Brian Macshane has been interested in motorway signs, reproducing them on mirrors to ‘create an unwelcome dialogue’.

Claire Voss-Bark quoted from Shakespeare ‘Like as waves make towards the pebble’d shore.

So do our minutes hasten to their end..’ 

from sonnet no. 60. This gave her quite a task to match the imaginative simile from our so famous poet with her more literal photographs however beautifully made.

Mary Trapp expressed intense personal experience about being in water.

Helen Falconar had used fungi to make prints emphasizing pattern and sublety.

 Bridget Roseberry had large experimental landscape inspired drawings hung from bullgog clips. 

Many of the artists were using paint in largely abstract marks applied with a lively insoucience, refering to their own life experience in various ways, incorprating memory and observation. Perhaps this is largely the theme of the course? Maybe it reflects the painting background of many of the tutors and the art heritage of St.Ives, still dominated by modern gestural abstraction related to landscape?

Caroline Darke

Lucia Jones 'Sake at bar Vitelli'

Seona Myerscough

It is in some ways a terrible injustice to visit such a show for a short while when the artists have clearly been working intensely and seriously for a year, some engaging in a second year.

I would be glad to read comments from others who saw the show or participated in the course as tutors or students.