The season ahead
- Jamie Crocker
- Sep 16
- 5 min read
Words by Jamie Crocker
The summer visitors may have departed, but one gallery is maintaining its momentum.
Rhiannon Cottam talks about her forthcoming plans for The Summerhouse Gallery and what she intends to grace the walls and plinths with in the lead up to the festive season.
Can you give me an overview of the autumn season at The Summerhouse Gallery and what visitors can look forward to?
Autumn is a lovely time in Cornwall and often my favourite season in the gallery. The town remains nicely busy with visitors from all over the world, but the crowds disperse a little. We like to keep up the summer show momentum by having one big mixed artist exhibition showing throughout autumn. This year, the autumn collection will open on October 17th with an opening event that evening, from 5pm to 7pm. I have selected artists who work with colours and textures reminiscent of autumn, with its golden sunsets, wild seas and the rich, earthy hues of the changing woodlands.
I’m going to be holding a series of ‘paint for fun’ workshops over the autumn and winter. I launched these in the spring this year and they were well-received. Workshop participants will have the chance to switch off and play around with different paints while chatting to their friends, accompanied by tea and cake of course! They’re very relaxed sessions and I make sure the tables are set up with lots of colourful and inspiring still-life stimuli. It’s a lovely way to make use of the space during a quieter time in the year. Tickets will be available to purchase online.
ABOVE: Works from Laura Rich which will feature in the autumn show
You mentioned a couple of new artists joining the gallery for this autumn. Who are they and what drew you to their work?
We have a few new artists joining The Summerhouse this autumn/winter. These include painters Laura Rich, who creates evocative contemporary landscape oil paintings; Louise Waugh, who’s paintings of the wild Cornish coast paths often feature little figures with their dogs, giving them a sense of narrative which I feel so many will relate to; and Martin Goold, whose soft pastel works of moonlit landscapes caught my eye for their unusual depictions of shadows, cast by Cornish engine houses, under the night sky. We are also welcoming a new sculptor, Rob Preston, whose bronze and slate works explore the wonderment of life and the beautiful little joys of the natural world, such as a single droplet of rain rolling off a leaf. All these artists work in the South West and have been selected for their individuality, each bringing something new to the gallery.
How does the gallery go about curating such a varied selection of artworks while still maintaining a cohesive feel?
For a show, I often begin the process by curating the space in my head. This is where my background in art, illustration and design helps, as I have to make quick decisions based on complementary colours and styles, taking into consideration the size of the space and also the framing styles of each artist. As the shows are booked months in advance, I can’t always be sure that the work will be exactly as I imagined when I selected the artists at the start of the year, but it’s always exciting to see what artists produce when given a brief. I have every confidence that our artists will produce high-quality work, so it’s then up to me to make sure the space is set up to do the work justice.
Sometimes, the placement of a large sculpture, a plant or a chair is all that’s needed to soften the transition between styles in the space. I am inspired by how classic and contemporary styles can sit next to each other, both in an art setting but also in architecture, interior design and fashion. My keen interest in these areas helps, as curating the gallery has become second nature to me now. If something doesn’t work, I will go for a walk and come back with fresh eyes and the answer will come to me.
The Summerhouse Gallery has a strong online presence. How important are online sales to your business now and how have they grown in recent years?
Online sales have become very important over the last five years. Being situated in a beautiful place like Marazion, we are not short on footfall during the summer months. This does drop dramatically in the depths of winter, so it’s important to us to remain visible online and to make sure that our fabulous artists’ work can be accessed easily from wherever their buyers are. Buying artwork online can be nerve-wracking to some, so we offer a friendly video call service to buyers who want to get a better feel for the piece. We understand how important it is for the painting to be the right fit in someone’s home. Buying art is so personal, so we never put any pressure on anyone to buy.
Can you explain the finance options you offer and how they make art more accessible to collectors?
We are really proud to be able to offer our customers a 0% finance option using Own Art, an amazing Arts Council-funded scheme which makes buying original artwork, ceramics, sculpture, jewellery and prints much more accessible. It requires a 10% deposit upfront to secure the piece(s), then a quick and easy online application form is sent to the customer via email. It only takes a few minutes to fill out and submit, so it can be done in person in the gallery or at home in their own time. One of the things we love about Own Art is that the artwork can be taken home or sent to the customer as soon as the form has been accepted, so this can be instant. There is also only a very short wait time for the funds to be released, so the artist doesn’t need to wait longer than usual to be paid. It’s a win-win.
For someone new to collecting, what advice would you give when choosing a piece, they’ll love for years to come?
I think original artwork should be chosen for its ability to make you feel a certain way. Falling in love with artwork isn’t just about finding the perfect painting to match your new sofa, but it’s the feeling it gives you when you connect with it. I’ve seen customers stare at a painting and get completely lost in it, because they’ve been transported to a favourite place or a happy memory. I have been brought to tears (happy tears!) many times from being transported through a painting. It’s this connection that we want people to find when choosing artwork; it’s about that piece that you can’t get out of your mind. It’s also really important to me that the customer enjoys their time in the gallery, because if they do buy a piece, the memory of buying it will also feed into how they feel about it for years to come. This is the same for all purchases, big and small.
Looking ahead beyond autumn, what exciting plans or exhibitions can art lovers expect from The Summerhouse Gallery in the coming months?
As well as the autumn show, we have a winter show with a spotlight on the prolific artist Michael Strang. In the run-up to Christmas, the gallery will have a beautiful array of gifts from locally-made decorations, jewellery, prints, cards and more.
