Author Archives: Bridget Macklin

I am an artist working in the field of ceramics creating fragile porcelain pieces which are inspired by the environment or by peoples relationships with the environment and with each other and which often incorporate finds to support their narrative.

Journey to the Northern Quarter

Manchester craft and design
A wonderful space where maker and customer can interact easily

Last week end found me travelling to Manchester.  Before I went my impression of the place was that it is in the North West so it rains a lot and – they have trams, right?

What a vibrant city!  I walked out of Piccadilly Station into a buzzing lively world.  Yes, the pavements were a bit damp; yes, I have to use my umbrella more that I would chose to; yes, I was almost run down by a couple of trains running down the road.  But look beyond that and you see a city which is a microcosm of exciting, interesting regeneration of old industrial England at its very best.  It is not quite Venice but there are a considerable number of canals and the redevelopment of some of the wharfs along the waterways are wonderful.  There is everything from old Victorian warehouse conversion to brand new build and for ideas on affordable housing, look no further than Islington Wharf where a company supplies slot-together units in which a family has considerable choice about internal layout whilst costs are attractively low because of the simple base unit construct and mass production – clever!

So what about the art?  On Friday I found myself in Caslefield Gallery.  Run by artists this is one of Northern England’s most active and successful organisations for developing emerging contemporary artists and practice.  Their current exhibition, Real Painting, explores the material components of painting and reminded me a bit of some of the exploratory work which I did with Ruth Franklin on a fabulous course a few years ago at City Lit.  It features works by a group of artists which includes  Angela de la Cruz, who lives and works in London and is represented by the Lisson Gallery, Jo McGonical  from Manchester who is currently undertaking a PhD at Leeds University and  David Goerk  who works in New York and is represented by Howard Scott Gallery, New York and Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.  the impression I had was of a gallery which has a real interest in promoting lively contemporary work from a wide range of people and places and this was magnified by the friendliness of the staff who went out of their way to make a stranger to the city feel welcome.

Later I visited the Northern Quarter and discovered the gem which is the Mancester craft and Design Centre.  Housed in an old fish market this space is both studio and gallery for about 30 makers.  Each artist has their own space the back of which is a studio and the front a shop.  Many of the spaces are shared which means that they can be open every day of the week without individual artists having to be present every day.  It represents a fabulous model of a place where the artists can interact easily with their customers on a regular basis.  An arrangement from which all sides benefit.  The café is pretty amazing too!

I was not in Manchester for long and whilst there I had an awful lot to accomplish but I shall return.  I have yet to see the Whitworth, Manchester Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, the Lowry Centre or the People’s History Museum – treats in store for a rainy day!

Get Outside and Get Looking!

ab2ed00f563201a378a3056b5b55cc61[1]This week I decided that it was high time I got outside and had a look to see what is going on.  It seems ages since I took in any exhibitions and I have been so shut up in my own little world that it was about time to open my eyes!

I went to see the exhibition of Gordon Baldwin’s work at Eskine Hall and Co just off Piccadilly, London.  This is a lovely, light gallery which specialises in contemporary and 20th century ceramics to which I have enjoyed a number of visits over the last few years.

I didn’t realise, until after I got home and looked Gordon Baldwin up in David Whiting’s book on Modern British Potters, that Baldwin has an interest in the coast and the sea.  His work reflects his exploration of space and the elements.  Maybe that is why it appealed so strongly to me.  The exhibition contains some fabulous, sculptural pieces.

Today's pebble is brought to you via my pocket from Towan Beach, St Antony in Roseland, Cornwall.
Today’s pebble is brought to you via my pocket from Towan Beach, St Antony in Roseland, Cornwall.

I think my absolute favourites have to be Baldwin’s Paintings in the Form of Bowls.  I love the rounded shapes and the idea of a three dimensional canvas on which his mark making is understated and minimalist with a limited pallet on a dry, white background.   Whiting describes his work: ‘at their quietest and most concentrated these objects are often most akin to the shapes and textures of stones, washed and worn by the sea’.  It certainly resonated strongly with someone who always has a pebble from the beach in my pocket, for no other reason than to be able to feel and touch the coast at all times where ever I happen to be land locked.

I know now that Baldwin is renowned for not becoming embroiled in ceramic debate but, whilst I was in the gallery looking at his work I could not help feeling that my experience might have been enhanced by knowing more about the man and his work.  I was certainly not going to gain any deeper understanding from the exhibition catalogue which is extremely economical on word count!  I suppose the counter to this would be that it serves me right for not looking him up before I went.  But I am not in the habit of looking the artist up before I go.  I never have been.  On the one hand this could be put down to idleness however, the question which I am constantly up against is this; would knowing more have enhanced my experience or was it better to go and view the work with little knowledge of the man or his work and then to investigate him more deeply afterwards?  Now that I have a mildly better understanding I suspect that this was the right order to do things in, this time at least.  It made me look more carefully than I might have done if I had already discovered that Whiting considers Baldwin’s pieces ‘difficult to know’.  That might have scared me away!