Bill Crumbleholme
Studio Potter
website
View Bill's work at the Gallery

A founder member of Upwey Potters and Chairman of Dorset Pottery Group, Bill has been producing, exhibiting, selling and teaching pottery for twenty-five years. 

With a background of producing functional domestic thrown stoneware items, his pots are simple clean yet strong shapes. Most of the bowls are designed to be useful as well as decorative.

Bill has been heavily influenced by the Black Burnished ware produced in Celtic Dorset. The Dorset County Museum in Dorchester stock his reproduction work and he appeared on Channel 4's Time Team, filmed locally at Waddon.

The attractive smooth surfaces and flashes of subtle colours of Bill's contemporary burnished and smoked vessels enhance their elegant shape. Raku fired pots with bright lustrous copper-rich glazes complement the more traditional earthy colours.

Bill runs potter classes and workshops, featuring throwing and firing techniques.
 

Sally Pinhey
Painter and Illustrator
website
View Sally's work at the Gallery

Born in 1946 and trained on location in Cornwall, Italy and Dorset, Sally specialises in botanical illustration, but also enjoys a broad base of landscape, wildlife and architectural work.

Sally has taught since 1990 in Dorset, and now at the Eden Project, Kingston Maurward and the Springhead Trust, Shaftesbury.

She is a regular RHS exhibitor and award winner. Sally is also a full member of the Chelsea Physic Garden, Florilegium Society, and the Armed Forces Society. She is the illustrator of "Pears" (1996) and "Plums" (2001) by Jim Arbury.

Recent commercial clients include: Sainsburys, Country Life and Crabtree & Evelyn.

Eileen Sarup
Weaver and Felt Maker
View Eileen's work at the Gallery

Eileen started weaving 25 years ago as an antidote to a demanding teaching career and gradually became interested in all forms of textile crafts. It wasn't until retirement that she was able to spend time developing her craft skills. She is fascinated by many forms of fibre related art and enjoys experimenting with various materials, finding inspiration in her garden and the ancient Dorset landscape around her home.

She is a member of the Dorset Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers and the International Felt makers Association, and, at present, concentrates mainly on tapestry weaving and felt making. She is particularly fascinated by the possibilities presented by the use of fleece and other fibres in the making of felt, and for this purpose she uses merino fleece which she hand dyes to create beautiful colours and subtle effects.

Eileen makes pictures, wall hangings, scarves, slippers and purses, and she also runs workshops in felt making for both beginners and experienced felt makers. She is happy to open her studio to visitors, by appointment and to undertake commissions for large or small-scale work.
 

Jon Sloper
Painter and Designer
website
View Jon's work at the Gallery

Jon's paintings have grown from small acorns into large oak trees! Beginning with small paintings of local villages and landscapes of his home county of Sussex, Jon has exhibited his work in country fairs and craft shows all over the south east of England. Combining his paintings with bringing up his son, Tim, Jon's work has developed and broadened in scope to include studies of trees, butterflies and birds, portraits of peoples' homes, paintings of classic cars and motorcycles and also more abstract subjects. 

Most of Jon's pictures are in watercolour or pen and wash, and his love of reflections, light, texture and strong colours comes through in many of his works. Much of his work is on show on his website and a broad collection can be seen at the Monkton Hall Gallery.

Jon also uses his design and graphic skills to produce websites and stationery for business and domestic use.
 

Michael J Chappell
Painter
View Michael's work at the Gallery

Michael J Chappell is an award-winning artist with prizes for marine painting, 3D work and theoretical art studies. Since graduating from the UCE and moving to Dorset in 1997 he has become a sought after painter of dramatic seascapes and landscapes which capture the very essence of the forces of nature. In addition he has gained a reputation as a controversial prize winning “sculptor”; his work containing every kind of detritus found on local beaches!

Working mainly “plein air” Michael can be seen out working in all weathers often with his canvas tied and weighted down to protect it from the winter gales which he loves. Of his paintings Michael says:

“Purely representational landscapes can help recall memories, but I want my images to go beyond that to enable the viewer to feel rather than see – to experience rather than know – to stir the emotions rather than the intellect.”

Pippa Hill
Ceramic Sculptor
View Pippa's work at the Gallery

I have been fascinated by clay for as long as I can remember, digging it up from the fields when I was very young and making things that eventually fell apart.

Although I was very good at art, we did not do ceramics at school, but I continued to make things out of clay. After I left school I attended evening and day classes in ceramics and I realised pottery and sculpture were my passion. I bought a kiln and rapidly established myself as a full-time ceramic artist. My workshop was based at home and I ran an extremely successful business selling my hand-crafted pottery at craft fairs and galleries throughout the 1980's and 1990's. In 1997 I deceded to take a break from the business as I felt it had become too commerical and I had lost touch with my creative roots.

Recently I have felt inspired to begin making sculptures again.

I live in the coutryside on the Somerset / Dorset border and much of my inspiration comes from the rural life around me, including plant and rock formations as well as farm and domestic animals.

Today I am no longer under so much pressure to conform to the popular market and I am able to create individually hand built piece which reflect my love of the natural world.

I use stoneware clay and appropriate glazes to enhance the sculptured form.

My pottery is toally frost proof and can stay outside all year if required.