Glazed Over – ceramics, oils, and knife handles

06 May, 2022

Glazed Over, the new exhibition at Mangawhai Artists Gallery, is an eclectic mix of ceramics, oil paintings and hand-crafted knife handles by artists Kay Airey, Sheryl Jury and Steve Marsh.

Sheryl Jury uses oils to tackle the most ambitious of subjects – expressing the emotion associated with a particular place or thing. She skilfully captures her subject in a way that generates an involuntary human reaction from the viewer – a smile, a feeling of warmth or spontaneous grin.

The wonder experienced when tramping in New Zealand’s/Aotearoa’s bush, the joy of a summer picnic by a river, the surprise of suddenly spying a ‘Little Red Shed’ set against a picturesque backdrop, and the delight at witnessing the ‘First Blooms’ of an apricot rose in spring are just some of the emotions cleverly conveyed through Sheryl’s work.

“The three pictures featuring roses show the same flowers from first opening to the fully coloured bloom and then actually fading, but still beautiful, in the light,” says Sheryl.

Kay Airey is a ceramic artist, specialising in hand formed ceramics. Coming from an advertising background she has always loved the down-to-earth world of pottery and potters, a contrast to the high-end world of advertising. With more than 15 years’ experience with other ceramic enthusiasts at the Auckland Studio of Potters in Onehunga, Auckland, Kay now lives in Mangawhai and is enjoying spending more time potting in her own studio. With her own kiln she is loving having control over firing her own work.

“While I enjoy creating hand formed (rather than wheel-thrown) domestic pots, bowls, butter dishes and plates I’m now focusing on outdoor sculptural pieces for wall and garden,” says Kay. “In this exhibition I showcase ceramic and metal wall hangings for indoor and outdoor settings.”

Steve Marsh made an impact at the recent Mangawhai Art Trail when he exhibited his hand-crafted knife handles. In Glazed Over Steve shows his versatility by exhibiting not only his exquisite knife handles but also a portfolio of oil on cotton canvas landscape scenes of Mangawhai, the Bethells Beach region and the South Island.

Of his hand-crafted knife handles, Steve says: “My choice of material is New Zealand native hardwood. These need to be accurately machined to a smooth,

level surface prior to shaping and fixing with metal pins and epoxy resin. Initial sanding is done with a bench top belt sander and final sanding by hand. The wood is finished with an application of candle wax and linseed oil which gives a durable finish and emphasises the natural wood qualities.”

n Glazed Over is open daily from 10am to 3pm, Friday May 06 to midday Wednesday May 18 at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir St, Mangawhai.

Sheryl Jury puts the viewer on an ‘Enchanted Path’ or in a landscape with a ‘Little Red Shed’. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

With her own kiln, Kay Airey is loving having control over firing her own work. She’s pictured here with ‘Hanging Leaves’. PHOTO/SUPPLIED