By markelsmore, Sep 19 2017 10:05AM
The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition celebrates 30 years this week. It's fantastic to have been selected for such a landmark event. This is my 16th successful selection so I feel very qualified to wish everyone concerned CONGRATULATIONS!
It seems appropriate that on this 30th (Ceramic) Anniversary I'm exhibiting a painting of the Staffordshire Pottery Industry:
The Parable of the Lost Kiln
Not long ago there stood an old pottery kiln. Bottle-shaped kilns are an iconic symbol of the Staffordshire pottery industry. In recent years the number of potbanks has declined and many of the remaining kilns stand in a perilous state. The 'Falcon Works' kiln needed structural repair. Grade II listed status couldn't save her. It’s disappointing that a building so identifiable and unique can disappear overnight.
The fate of the kiln seems to suggest: Maintain what you've got while you can; the wonders of today may be a heap of bricks by tomorrow.
The Mall Galleries London, 19th-24th Sept 2017 Trowbridge Arts, 11th Nov-23rd Dec 2017 Guildford House Gallery, 13th Jan- 10th Mar 2018
