A trio of contemporary artists are to exhibit their latest work in a prestigious Newcastle-under-Lyme gallery.
An exciting exhibition is being brought to the newly-refurbished Brampton Museum and Art Gallery in January 2023 by three locally-based artists. Sally Fitchard, Ian Mood and Nick Moore are collaborating for the first time in an exhibition of ceramics and paintings called Fuse.
Fuse Exhibition came about when an opportunity presented itself following a conversation with the museum manager. They were invited to pull together a display of contemporary artwork for the Newcastle-under-Lyme gallery.
The sculptor and artists had previously met when they exhibited together at the prestigious Three Counties Open Exhibition in Burslem School of Art with other selected artists. All three had a mutual admiration for one another’s work.
Sally Fitchard is a ceramic sculptor creating figurative works of art that are full of character, uniqueness and expression. Sally’s “Multiple Kneels (Telling)” was a prize-winning sculpture at the 2022 Three Counties Art Exhibition.
“The judges loved this work for its tenderness, intricacy and attention to small details; the fingers and toes of each figure and expressions on their faces were subtle and moving.”
The Artist graduated in studio ceramics from Staffordshire Polytechnic in 1991 and didn’t touch clay again until January 2019. The artist is represented at Broth Art in the U.K. and has exhibited at many ‘Opens’ including Royal Society of British Artists, Society of Women Artists, Leamington Spa Open and at The Mall Gallery, London.
Ian Mood is an internationally renowned, award winning artist who studied Fine Art at the University of the West of England, Bristol. He is a member of the Artists’ Association of Nantucket where he was awarded the Frank Swift Chase Plein Air Award 2014.
“Ian Mood is an artist who is drawn towards the shifting vastness of the landscape; its unpredictability and awesome might. Through his work he seeks to capture some of the defining qualities of our brooding landscape: how, in the space of a single walk one can experience all the vagaries of the English weather system – from being caught in a sudden downpour to the unexpected flash of brilliant light that breaks through the pearly canopy of low-lying cloud.” Michael Howard, Royal Society of Arts
Ian grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and studied at Newcastle Tertiary Collage and North Staffs Uni before completing a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at the University of Bristol. Ian lives in Penkhull and paints full time from his studio in Burslem. His work has featured in collections including Saatchi Gallery London and Brooklyn Art Library, New York.
Ian recently collaborated as artist in residence with The National Theatre during their award winning production of The Madness of George III (Mark Gatiss) and The Royal Exchange Manchester during their production of Bertold Brecht’s Mother Courage (Julie Hesmondhalgh).
Nick Moore has had paintings in successive Three Counties Exhibitions and exhibits both regionally and further afield, more recently at Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and in St ives, Cornwall. The artist also curated the Marvellous:Stoke Exhibition at the nearby New Vic Theatre earlier this year.
He studied printing and graphics at South Manchester College, spent over 25 years as a printer and the following 15 years as a graphic designer.
Nick took up painting after visiting his Potteries-born father, respected Penwith artist David Moore in St Ives, and attended a life drawing workshop in 2017. With his family her’s guidance and critique he greedily painted without the restraint of traditional creative schooling.
Nick Moore says: “Although our artistic styles are quite different, I believe we observe in a similar way. Living and working in Newcastle-under-Lyme, we are undoubtedly exposed to some joint experiences. Fuse Exhibition will explore how our convergence binds into a cohesive body of work. We aim to build on this unity with future joint exhibitions.”
Fuse Exhibition runs from Saturday 14 January to Sunday, 16 April 2023 at Brampton Museum and Art Gallery. The opening evening is at 7pm on Thursday , 12 January with blues music by Tree Katz an opportunity to chat with the artists.
All work in Fuse Exhibition is for sale. Additional work by the artists can be found at Barewall Art Gallery in Burslem.
