For one week only, The CRiC Studio, Beaufort Street Crickhowell, will be showing the work of West Wales artists and makers ‘Square Pegs.’
Well known for quirky, innovative exhibitions, the group are showing work which they hope will raise a smile, provoke some thought and tickle the imagination. The range of work on show includes fine art, furniture, jewellery and hand-made books. Members of the group – Steve Thompson, Yvette Brown, Annie Coombs, Carole King and Glenn Ibbitson – will be manning the studio space throughout. We would be delighted to see you there.
A drinks cabinet resembling a tipsy Prussian officer, a paper boat buffeted on a storm-whipped sea, herons in bicycle puncture repair tins and magnetic woodpeckers in books will all be on show at The CRiC Studio, Beaufort Street, Crickhowell from 4th-10th September. This could only be an exhibition put on by ‘Square Pegs’, a disparate group of artists and makers who have travelled from their base in West Wales – and they are on a mission.
“We aim to make our visitors smile – a thoughtful, considered, smile perhaps, although we do aim for a good chortle as well. We like to show work that invites thoughtful consideration, things that offer a little something extra to discover on each return visit.“
This requires a range of craft skills. These are evident in Steve Thompson’s innovative ply furniture; Carole King’s intricate book constructions; Glenn Ibbitson’s collages; Annie Coombs’ narrative silver jewellery, and Yvette Brown’s re-worked vintage books.
Yvette Brown is well-known for reminding us that modern life is, on the whole, a bit silly. Her endearing figures often recall a snatch of conversation overheard in a tearoom by Alan Bennet.
Carole King follows threads of nostalgia back to a pre-digital childhood to produce miniature tableau and non-sequiturs, housed in vintage tins and old film cameras.
Annie Coombs’ skilful jewellery is precisely and beautifully executed yet designed with humour and a lightness of touch.
Steve Thompson’s innovative plywood furniture bends the mind and pleases the imagination. His most recent sculptural work is an exploration of what the eye will create when given the space to do so.
Glenn Ibbitson’s prints and collages offer glimpses of obscure figures now occupying the hidden corners of social history. His art has been compared to a self-assemby furniture kit – don’t expect to find all the components or an instruction manual in the box.
A warm welcome awaits visitors to the exhibition at the Cric Studio Gallery. If on the way there you pass people with faintly quizzical smiles on their faces, they probably got there before you!
Glenn Ibbitson
