The Biscuit Factory

Yesterday was a visit to the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, with Lesley.  As part of the course, we need to be checking out art galleries, and so we decided that the Biscuit factory would be a good place to visit.  There was plenty to look at, and lots of different art forms were in evidence, from the usual paintings and prints, to bronze and wood.  There was a lack of "textiles", but a lot of both glass and ceramics, which were all very interesting.  The jewellery was also interesting, and although there was nothing that really appealed to me personally, I could at least admire the work that had gone into the pieces.

There are a large number of artists displaying and selling in the Biscuit Factory, and although it's actually a small place, it's not cramped.  I cannot possibly name all of the artists on display here, but there was a few pieces that stood out for me...

• Stephen Beardsell, a glass artist, had a lot of pieces on display, but by far my favourite was his "tree fungi sculpture" which is a real wooden log with glass mushrooms "growing" out of it.  Sells for £3100, so I don't think I'll buy it for my garden!  http://www.stephenbeardsell.com/
• Ceramics from Chiu-I Wu stood out for me, although Lesley was not as impressed.  I love the big shapes, and the simple detail.  "Thoughts" was one of my favourite pieces on display from this artist.  http://www.chiuiwu.co.uk/home.htm
• Probably one of the best ceramic artists on display, for me, was Mark Dally.  The pieces on show from him were all black and white, simple forms, slip-trailed.  For someone who always wonders what to do with a ceramic form once it's made, looking at his work gives me some inspiration - with some (a lot?) of practice, maybe I can create something so wonderful, from one simple technique?  http://www.markdallyceramics.co.uk/Home.html
• Another favourite piece was "Watermother" by Fidelma Massey.  This one would only cost me £4920, but at least it's not so big that it would need to go in the garden...!  All of her work appears to be based on ancient mythology, which I love, and the greens and golds are perfect for the subject.  She works in both bronze and ceramic, and some of her pieces are absolutely stunning.  http://www.irishsculpture.com/

If anyone's interested in visiting the Biscuit Factory, the website (http://www.thebiscuitfactory.com/) has all of the usual contact details and maps, etc, to help you get there.  I will point out, for those of you who don't know Newcastle, that there is a one way system in place around there, so watch out!

I also need to warn you all...  There was a severely huge, extremely disappointing, lack of biscuits.