Devonshire June July 16

Three @ ten
Three art galleries across Devon celebrating their 10th year
Hybrid Gallery - Honiton
Hybrid Gallery quietly opened its doors just over 10
years ago with wood-chipped walls and a sign on
the door that said “drinks and ice creams welcome, the
carpet’s rubbish”. Six months later it was a different
story; refurbishment of the listed Georgian building had
rekindled its charm, revealed wood panelling and open
hearths and reinvented the space with smooth lime
plaster washed with warm colour, a gleaming oak floor
and sparkling spotlights. It was now the perfect place
to exhibit paintings, prints, sculpture and craft - smart
enough to focus on the art, yet of a scale with quirks
and details that reminded you of an interior where the
art would find its home. On the walls hung the busy,
narrative pictures of Richard Adams. His imaginative
journeys into a country idyll with characters in simple,
domestic and rural pursuits entertained then and are
Jacqueline Hollister and Tim Woolgar
just as popular today. His annual exhibition brings
people from across the UK to enjoy his work for its
humour and charm and sheer enjoyment of life. Having
run an illustration agency with an add-on gallery in
east London, Tim and Jacqueline naturally began by
exhibiting ex-illustrators’ work alongside paintings by
local artists. Fittingly the growth of Hybrid has been
organic, nurturing artists and clients to build lasting
relationships. The painters Irene Jones, Rachel Ross
and Niggy Dowler and sculptor Dean Patman have all
experienced success and recognition over the years and
with fifteen other artists regularly show in the gallery in
Honiton and at art fairs in Bristol and London. At any
one time crafts from about forty makers can be found
in the gallery, it’s a vibrant place with ever-changing
collections of work and exhibitions. To celebrate its
tenth year in the fabulous, independent High Street
of Honiton, Hybrid opens ‘Ten Summers in the Country’
on 23 July; an exuberant festival of art applauding the
countryside for its ability to nourish and sustain.
Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery - Plymouth
The two Stevies, Victoria Sewart, Maxine Walker
I started my training at the Plymouth college of Art and
completed it with a Masters from Birmingham School
of Jewellery before opening the gallery on the historic
Waterfront Barbican area of Plymouth. After 20 years of
being a successful jewellery designer, opening a gallery
was the next logical step for me. When I established
Victoria Sewart Contemporary Jewellery Gallery, it
was the first of its kind in Plymouth. Through the
gallery you can buy something unique straight from the
studios of some of the most talented British designers.
I decided to put my passion for teaching to use and
made the space above the two floors of the gallery
into a workshop so that I could run my own jewellery
making classes, which have become more and more
popular over the years - especially with couples making
their own wedding rings. I would say my success is
down to being focused and learning that the only way
to succeed in business is through your own hard work,
determination and creative ideas to keep the business
fresh. It hasn’t always been an easy ride with several
recessions and only two years after opening, I was
diagnosed with breast cancer. Although it was a difficult
time, having the business to keep going, motivated me
to get better and thankfully today I am 2 years out of
remission. Since we launched in 2006 we have grown
to 3 members of staff and are very proud to have gained
a good reputation with customers re-visiting from all
over the UK and the World - Victoria Sewart
Baxters Gallery - Dartmouth
I bought an existing gallery in Dartmouth “Hartworks”
10 years ago. The gallery predominantly sold paintings
plus limited editions of Dartmouth and prints by the
owner Simon Hart. I had been a real collector of art
and craft for years and have a house full of paintings,
sculpture and ceramics. Since my 20’s I had wanted to
run my own gallery and even named my savings account
“gallery fund”! In my career as a buyer I was used to
buying products in the thousands mostly from China.
My gallery ethos was the opposite of this, to buy from
individual designer/makers and artists who were based
in the UK only. It was such a pleasure to make this
change and to be surrounded every day by work that I
loved. My first change, apart from changing the name
to Baxters was to put in 3 jewellery cabinets. I also
increased the amount of sculpture and added ceramics,
textiles and lighting. Some of those makers of 3d work
introduced at the beginning are still showing here today.
The 3d category has grown considerably over the years
particularly when we have our twice yearly exhibitions
which are part of the Dartmouth Galleries Festival. The
look of the gallery changes totally in an exhibition and
we often run them to a theme. We always aim to have
a wide range of prices and are constantly introducing
new work and new makers which our regular customers
appreciate. One of the great pleasures is seeing how the
work develops from each maker. I can’t believe 10 years
has gone by already but I’m so happy to be in Baxters
every time I walk through the door - Sarah Duggan
Jordan Mitchell and Sarah Duggan
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