Saturday 23 September to Saturday 14 October 2006
Artists Mary Hayward-Smith and John Ambrose exhibited in a joint venture. Many of Ambrose's ceramic works are featured in Hayward-Smith's paintings, juxtaposing reality and the way things 'are' with illusion and the way they are 'seen'.
Both John Ambrose and Mary Hayward-Smith work and live in Chertsey. Both are members of Chertsey Artists and it was through this association that they bet, and began to exhibit together.
Seven years ago, Mary started to use John's pottery in her work for an exhibition entitled 'The Pots in the Paintings'. They have continued to exhibit together and the work has grown more together over that period of time.
John has lived in Chertsey for over 45 years. Mary was looking for a studio in the early 1990s and found one in Chertsey, which led her to move there.
Mary's first studio was in Guildford Street, the original studios for Chertsey Artists. By coincidence it was the same one where John first threw a pot in the 1960s - possibly even before Mary was born! In those days the local council ran art classes there which John attended. He used this studio a number of times before he set up his own studio at his home.
John also did much of her early ceramic experimentation at Richmond College - a place where Mary exhibited in 1991, just after completing her degree. Coincidentally, May was, at this time, living in Richmond and sometimes attended life drawing classes at Richmond College.
Both John and Mary exhibited at The Gallery at Virginia Water when it first opened and their work was displayed alongside each other, without having met.
It was through the Chertsey Artists Open Exhibition that they finally were introduced and first exhibited together with another potter and close friend of John's Betty Swabey.
This was their fourth major exhibition together since that time, but the first one concentrating entirely on their work without any other artists being involved.
Guildford House Gallery
155 High Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3AJ
Tel: 01483 444740
Fax: 01483 444742
Email: guildfordhouse@guildford.gov.uk