Stories carved and collaged
- Jamie Crocker
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Words by Jamie Crocker
Artists at the Yew Tree Gallery explore narrative through clay, wood and print.
After five decades of curating exhibitions across Britain and beyond, Gilly Wyatt-Smith has found her perfect setting in West Penwith, Cornwall, where she now works exclusively for Yew Tree Gallery. Located near Morvah in the wild beauty of Cornwall’s westernmost peninsula, the gallery occupies the converted spaces of Keigwin Farmhouse, where art and nature converge in ways that reflect Gilly’s distinctive curatorial philosophy.
Her approach to selecting artists is unusual. Rather than following market trends or commercial considerations, Gilly searches for work that genuinely excites and inspires – art that represents the unique voice of its creator. This democratic approach means she’s equally likely to champion an emerging talent as an established name, provided their work speaks with authenticity and passion.
Her exhibitions are particularly compelling because of her thematic methodology. Each show emerges from what she describes as “a sense of what is in the air” – cultural or environmental currents that demand visual expression. Many of her exhibitions explore humanity’s relationship with the natural world, addressing our growing disconnection from environmental rhythms and cycles. Other shows develop around a single artist whose work suggests broader conversations, leading her to seek complementary voices working in different mediums.
Her current exhibition, Fish, Fowl and Fable, running through September and October, exemplifies this curatorial strategy. The show centres on Mark Hearld, the York-based artist-designer whose colourful, multifaceted work has earned international recognition. Hearld’s versatility across painting, collage, printmaking and textile design echoes the great mid-20th century artist-designers like Eric Ravilious (1903 – 42) and Edward Bawden (1903 – 89), whom he studied at the Royal College of Art.
TOP LEFT: ‘Murderous Millinery’ - Mixed media sculpture 44 x 32 x 30cm - Eleanor Glover
TOP RIGHT: ‘Watching’ - Mixed media sculpture 24 x 24 x 24cm - Eleanor Glover
BOTTOM: ‘Whimsical Bird’ – mixed media collage in painted frame – Mark Hearld
For this exhibition, Hearld focuses on collages and ceramic decoration, bringing to the fore his knowledge and love of animals and birds. The hare, a creature steeped in myth and legend, appears frequently alongside pigeons, crows and roosters, all rendered with the sweeping brushstrokes that give his images their distinctive vitality. Recent work in India, where Hearld collaborated with artisans in Jaipur using traditional mud-resist printing methods, has infused his practice with new energy drawn from vibrant Indian colours and patterns.
Paul Young provides another narrative thread, drawing inspiration from 18th-century Staffordshire pottery and European folk art to create whimsical tableaux of characters and creatures. Working from his pottery in a converted Victorian railway station in the Midlands, Young produces both decorative pieces and functional domestic ware in the tradition of early English slip-trailed pottery. His magnificent lidded Wassail pot, complete with perching birds and multiple handles for communal drinking, serves as a centrepiece of the exhibition.
Eleanor Glover brings four decades of sculptural experience to the show, creating what Gilly describes as “idiosyncratic revelations of the human condition.” Working primarily in wood, Glover cuts and carves stylised body and bird forms into powerful, emotive sculptures. Starting her career as an assistant to the well-known toy maker Ron Fuller, Eleanor adapted the skills she learnt with him, moving into more personal work where narrative elements and metaphor develop through the process of making. Influences are drawn through her own experiences, observations of life, poetry and literature.
TOP LEFT: Wassail bowl, lidded – thrown and modelled earthenware – 57x 27cm – Paul Young
TOP RIGHT: Man on Rooster – modelled earthenware – 36 x 23cm – Paul Young
BOTTOM: Leaving Stromness – mixed media box construction – 27 x 23 x 10cm – Alex Malcolmson
Alex Malcolmson rounds out the core group with carved seabirds and mixed-media dioramas that reflect his Shetland origins and lifelong connection to maritime culture. Now based in Yorkshire, Malcolmson draws on childhood memories of island life to create works that capture the essence of seabirds through sleek lines and forms. His framed maritime pieces often incorporate sections of early sea charts, model boats and carved fish, creating intriguing visual histories of seafaring life.
The exhibition also features ceramic work by Robina Jack and colourful woven rugs by Sue Marshall, a Swedish artist now living in Cornwall. The gallery’s two rooms are surrounded by gardens where visitors can discover sculptures by Reece Ingram and Helen Nock’s carved slate birds and furniture, all crafted from reclaimed Cornish slate.
This integration of indoor and outdoor spaces reflects Gilly’s understanding that art viewing should be a holistic experience. The old farmyard provides ample parking, and visitors are encouraged to wander the gardens, using the various seats and benches to contemplate both the exhibited works and the natural setting that inspired them.
For Gilly, each exhibition represents an opportunity to share artistic discoveries with a wider audience, not merely to sell work, but to spread what she calls “the joy in it.”
Fish, Fowl and Fable continues through to the end of October, with the gallery open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30am to 5:00pm.
