Janet Edmonds

Beyond Surface

The work made for the exhibition at Totnes will move to the Northmoor Gallery in Gillingham, Dorset, from 8th to 14th August. It is a larger space so there will be new work to see.

The exhibition in Totnes at Birdwood House during April was a success as far as positive comments from the public were concerned. However, they were not in buying mode, a sign of difficult financial times perhaps . The collaborative work that Pat and I have done was well received and most people were interested to see how that had worked out. The mix of our own personal work sat well together, with colours and textures blending. Wall hung machine stitched works by Pat, complimented my own three dimensional pieces, with the framed drawings and folded book displayed over the tiled fireplace looking as if they had been made to match the colour scheme.

Birdwood House is a convenient gallery of modest size opening directly onto the High Street. It is a long narrow space with two fireplaces along one wall. The High Street is busy with shoppers especially when the market is in place next door and during April there were many visitors exploring the delights of Totnes.

We hope to exhibit there again in due course. Meanwhile, the exhibition moves to Gillingham in Dorset during the second week of August, so if you were unable to visit Totnes, you may be able to come to Gillingham.

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Exhibition review by Ros Hills April 2011:

Beyond Surface – Pat Clayton and Janet Edmonds

Taking a closer look, making a detailed observation and a considered expression is what Janet Edmonds and Pat Clayton undertake to do.  Their most recent exhibition evidences their passion for detail, for repeating natural elements and for surface colour and texture.  The exhibition was hung well within the gallery space, use of plinths and wall space ensured that each piece or grouping could be viewed separately.

Both textile artists are inspired by the sand, sea and shore line and by rocks and land formations that are found near the water.  It is a well trodden path to take but they have sucessfully made new work that differs from other work that I have seen on the same subject.

Pat Clayton exhibits a body of work that ranges from freely hanging cloths (that ask to be touched and wrapped around the body) to images of the sea that have been finely machine stitched with great precision. The blending of colour and management of the technique ensures a successful outcome.

Also on display by Pat are a collection of artists books. These books look as though they have been washed by sand and sea and bleached in the sun, a sliver of sea blue here, a slash of sandy stitched texture there is all there is but that minimal intervention on otherwise blank pages is a strong focal point.

Small framed work by Pat Clayton alludes to marks on a shore line, drafts of spume and footprints in the sand. These delicate mixed media works leave space for the viewer to recollect their own experience of shoreline places.

Janet Edmonds has made vessels and three dimensional hollow forms together with printed and drawn two dimensional work.  This two dimensional work shows original inspirations for work seen later in the exhibition.  The textile work reflects an interest in the holes and spaces created by nature in rock and stone formations. On close examination a collection of hand stitched forms inspired by stones of different colours and sizes displays a natural ability to interpret the rhythm and texture of the natural form in stitch.

Five small vessels of different dimensions are hand stitched, the stitch mark continuously repeated to form an all over surface pattern that is reminiscent of the markings on stones and rocks. The making of the pieces is meticulous and structurally convincing.

Further work by Janet Edmonds is reminiscent of large hollowed out shells with crenulations and raised areas on their surface. These pieces are displayed as a group and might have been better appreciated displayed individually to enable a stronger focus on each piece.

The artists have also undertaken pieces of collaborative work, both two and three dimensional pieces were made. Whilst these pieces display the same attention to mark, colour and surface texture, in my opinion, they did not describe the intuitive nature of either artist and the emotional commitment to the pieces was not as evident as it was in their own work.

RH 15.4.11

Exhibitions