Garry Jones Ceramics

Everybody needs a good laugh and right now Artery Gallery has exactly the pieces to bring a smile to your face. We are pleased to be exhibiting work by ceramicist Garry Jones, whose farm animal creations have character and personality all their own.

Garry loves animals, and that is apparent in his work. He says that they are a ‘continuous source of amusement, happiness, sadness, and of course inspiration.’ All of his ceramic animals are created as 3-D cartoons, somewhat reminiscent of Wallace and Gromit, and their expressions are the essence of the sculpture. Garry does that intentionally, as he aims to give animals human characteristics. He says that his sculptures are ‘a reaction to observations of animal behaviour; I set out to make people laugh.’ He also uses wordplay of common phrases such as ‘Ewe and Me’ and ‘Ewe-fo’ and emulates old silent films where the emphasis was on the expression alone.

The work has a raku glaze, which Garry prefers as the process creates a more unpredictable finish, making each piece unique. The unpredictable style complements the expressions on his animals’ faces, maintaining continuity between the funny and unexpected ideas and the fluid, unpredictable design.

All of his work is filled with humour, whether through the surprised expressions on the animals faces, the comical scenes in which they are depicted, such as ‘Over The Moon’ or through his parodies of the famous sculptures ‘The Thinker’ or ‘The Kiss’ by Rodin, whose poses Garry mimics with hares as his subject rather than people.

While Garry creates a variety of animal sculptures, including chickens, sheep, dogs, hares, cows and more, the current pieces in Artery are part of his sheep series of work, accompanied by ‘Beefcake’ the quirky bull. His sheep come in a variety of sizes and scenes, and they would make a perfect gift for children or adults. With prices starting from just £30 for these fun wee sheep you really can’t go wrong. They have been bringing a smile and a laugh to passers-by, and would be sure to warm your home and your heart.

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New Work by Featured Jewellers

New Work by Featured Jewellers

Artery Gallery is known for representing a wide range of artistic styles in all media and that embodies the gallery’s philosophy that art is for everyone, and with such a wide range of styles and prices, everyone can find the ideal piece of art. While this is clear with our paintings, it also holds true for our jewellery, with prices typically ranging from £26-£200 and styles for everyday wear as well as high end pieces for those special occasions.

All of our jewellers have their particular styles and strengths. Some produce vibrant beaded work, others crystal wedding jewellery, handcrafted metalwork pieces or intricately woven silver. All of the jewellery is made by hand, so just as with the paintings displayed in the gallery, the jewellery is as unique and each piece is an individual work of wearable art. This month we would like to feature two of our prominent jewellers, Sarah Anderson and Angela Learoyd. Both are silversmiths and create gorgeous handmade pieces with their own creative signature styles.

Sarah Anderson is a local jeweller from Fife who received her B.A. Honours from Glasgow School of Art in Jewellery and Silversmithing. She works with sterling silver hallmarked by the Edinburgh Assay Office. The colours and textures of the Scottish Highlands influence her silversmithing and semi-precious stone pieces. The majority of her pieces are made of numerous handmade metal jump rings (necklaces have around 350 rings each!) which require extensive amounts of work.

Gorgeous, yet subtle, Sarah’s work can be worn every day or add some sparkle to your ensemble for a special occasion. Her jewellery is often customisable as they can be made to measure and can be personalised with a detachable stone or charm, an example of which can be seen here.

Angela Learoyd is a member of the Association of British Jewellers and the Association of Contemporary Jewellers and creates mainly pieces that incorporate gemstones with a matt finish and interesting textures. Her work is sure to catch attention! She especially enjoys forming and creating her own beads rather than sourcing them, giving her work a personal touch from beginning to end. ‘Often my inspiration for shapes and textures comes directly from the stone,’ she said. Deriving inspiration directly from the sources allows for an organic and original flow of work, leading to different styles simply by the nature of the material.

Artery Gallery is excited and honoured to be the first gallery to exhibit new lines of work from both Sarah and Angela. Sarah is currently creating a Limited Edition range of chain mail that will be a gallery exclusive, available from April.

Angela is working on a series of statement pieces that are based around her large and unusual gemstones together with textured silver hollow hand-formed beads. Artery will be the first to exhibit these new pieces as well. Whether you are looking for intricate silver jewellery or gorgeous statement pieces, be sure to pop into Artery Gallery at 43 South Street, St Andrews and be the first to see these exquisite new ranges of work!

www.arteryuk.com