Tower and Town, July 2018

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Arts Review

This collaborative exhibition by Mark Wickham and his daughter Louise Wickham has been spectacular - the gallery has literally been glowing with delight. 

Mark Wickham’s oil paintings are a celebration of the everyday. Inspired by Italian Renaissance artist Piero Della Francesca, the immensely pleasing mathematical finish in Mark’s work reflects Francesca’s famous geometric strategies and employment of the ‘golden ratio’. There is no symbolism in any of Mark’s paintings - the subjects are intended to be just as they are seen. The arbitrary choice of objects is intensely satisfying because of their shape, texture, reflection and the light which shines upon them. Indeed light, and how it interacts with the objects is perhaps the most important element in this artist’s work. Although the pieces are contrived in construction, they precisely celebrate the delight of the everyday. Each painting is calm, still, spacious, peaceful, contemplative, captivating and beautiful. 

Louise Wickham’s ceramics are the perfect companion to her father’s paintings. Indeed they are often featured in his work. Deceptively complex, these hand built coil pots are decorated with repeat patterns in coloured slip, then burnished. No two pots are the same. The uniqueness of each ceramic is due to the different colour and pattern combinations that create optical effects. This is something Louise is particularly interested in, as she works from a large collection of computer generated images, as well as creating and developing her own designs. The pots vary in size and shape; they are all incredibly tactile, aesthetically pleasing and extremely elegant.

I do hope you all had the chance to come and see this exhibition: it was one not to be missed!

Mark Wickham Paintings and Louise Wickham Ceramics were at The White Horse Gallery between June 6th - June 30th 2018.

Gabriella Venus