Artwork in my Home – Part Three

Following on from parts 1 & 2 of this series I thought I would stick with tradition and number this “part 3” – stunning and brave!

The delay in producing this article is entirely due to lockdown – one of the pieces in this article had been commissioned by us in early March but the artist couldn’t get the materials to make it until lockdown had eased.

So, down to business.  I’m not a huge fan of what I would call “industrial” or “steam punk” art however Mrs Reggie and I have taken a liking to a particular artist (husband and wife team – Kerry and Tilly Whittle) who produce what we think are some excellent items in metal.  We first came across their pieces in the Bristol Guild and did further research which culminated in us taking a visit to Tavistock to visit an art fair where the Whittle’s were displaying some of their items, the Saturday before lockdown.  We met with Kerry and bought a couple of items, the first of which was this horse head made out of steel with bronze highlights.

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

We also bought this vase

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

Prior to making the trip to Tavistock we had been in touch with Kerry and Tilly and had commissioned one of their mirrors.  We specified the size of the mirror and chose the combination of colours which best suited the location we had in mind.

Kerry made the mirror to our specification and constructed it from steel panels, welded together to form a frame around the glass.   Each panel is treated in a different way, some having a plain brushed steel coloured finish, whilst others have been painted, heat treated or had bronze applied to them.  We think the effect is stunning and the mirror takes pride of place in our hall – form and function.

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

Having commissioned the mirror, we eventually collected it in mid-July from their home near Saltash.  They make a wide range of items from picture frames to clocks, wall hangings and sculptures.  A selection of work can be seen on their website – https://whittledesign.weebly.com/

We still have a number of walls which need something hung on them and we may well add more items from Kerry and Tilly to our collection although we don’t want to overdo it.

The next item is our latest addition – an embroidery picture made by a local artist, Shuya Cheng.

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

All the embroidery is handmade and many hours are spent on the sewing machine sewing small interlocking stitches to a piece of water-soluble fabric. The fabric is then dissolved leaving the embroidery.  This is pinned to watercolour paper and foam board using glass beads to suspend and alter the height before being fixed in place. The finished embroidery is then displayed in a shadow box – exactly as naturalists displayed their specimens in the past.

Reggie’s Mind of Evil, Going Postal

I have to say that this is another stunning piece and graces our dining room, complementing my sister’s Egypt picture nicely.  Shuya’s work can be viewed here – https://shuyacheng.com/

If you’ve been paying attention you may recall this series was going to be in 3 parts, however, with more walls to fill and a new found love for visiting art fairs and displays, I have a feeling it won’t be too long before I have another content for part 4.
 

© Text and images Reggie’s Mind Of Evil 2020
 

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