Cornwall – Page 6 – Bridget Macklin

It is wonderful what a calming effect this aquatic life is giving me. I have managed to make a load of work this week, despite the heat in my studio, which in August is normally enough to drive me out. It is just as well really. The pressure on me to create was growing exponentially. I had 4 more works to make for an exhibition in Cornwall at Tregony Gallery which starts in early September; I have a lot to do to prepare for Kew Gardens in October – it might seem ages away but I shall be in Canada throughout September; I had a commission to finish for a 70th birthday present and I need to restock my shelves at Klay London. So a wee bit of making was always going to be a good thing.

However, the desire to create is also an ephemeral thing – here one minute, vanished the next so it is always a huge relief to me when I turn up at the studio and find that I can get right on with it. The days when I seem to need to spend an hour or more on Facebook, wash the floor, tidy the shelves and still the urge to make does not come are really very difficult. Does anyone else have this problem I wonder?

20160806_141731 — Finished works – one a commission, one destined for Tregony Gallery

IMG_20160804_154017 — I suddenly wanted to make big!

IMG_20160805_153250 — Please form an orderly queue for the kiln

Anyway, this week I have been churning it out. The kiln has been fired 3 times and the shelves are groaning under the weight of drying works. Phew, what a relief! But the best thing? At the end of the day, covered in dust and feeling tired, I can sit on the pontoon beside the boat with a glass in my hand and my feet in the water and watch the cygnets practicing their one footed swimming – and BREATHE.

20160806_140302 — One legged swimming will take place after a rest in the sun.

There is a lot going on at the moment but little to show for it because everything is half finished so I think the best thing is just to share the news that I have been taken on by a lovely gallery in Cornwall.

Tregony is known as the gateway to the Roseland Peninsular. It is an ancient town with its roots going right back to pre-Norman times which now sits at the lowest ‘solid crossing’ of the River Fal, fifteen miles from the sea. Below here it is a case of take the ferry or swim. The main road is unusually wide – a reflection of the time when the river was navigable to here and Tregony was a busy port.

Now the river is silted up by outflow from agriculture, tin streaming and the china clay industry and it is a tranquil place. It is also a great place for me to exhibit my work and I could not be more excited about my new relationship with Tregony Gallery.

The gallery is in relatively new ownership. Judith and Brian Green have been living in Tregony for years but only recently took over the gallery and have worked hard to brighten it and give is a fabulous contemporary look.

I visited them last time I was down and I took the first of my series relating to the Cornish mining industry to show them. They seemed keen and asked to hang onto it for their summer show. Imagine my delight when I looked on their website to see my piece in pride of place! Tregony Gallery seems to be the perfect place for me to dip my toe in the waters of the art world in Cornwall, given my love of the Roseland and the link between my work and the mining industry. I am looking forward to a long and happy relationship with the Greens.

bridgetmacklin3[1] — Coming soon to Tregony Gallery.

Tag Archives: Cornwall

The creative Vibe is alive and well.

Cornwall Here I come.