Albatross 50 x 45cm ceramic and wood £350

Nancy Pickard - ‘ARK’ an exhibition of painting, sculpture and ceramics

Nancy Pickard makes objects which straddle the divide between craft and art.

There is much debate about when a craft becomes art - and when art becomes a craft or just a show of skill, but the easy test of ‘art’ is whether an object has life. It is the job of an artist to breathe life into inanimate materials.
 
Nancy Pickard makes objects - that’s what they are, quite simply. The paintings, the jewellery, sculpture - objects brand new to the world, never to be repeated. It does not really matter whether they are ‘figurative’ or abstract, they are just objects that have been created and it is enough just to be pleased to view them.
 
Cohesion exists between all of Nancy’s pieces and a visit to her studio can find your head whipping backwards and forwards in exhilaration when viewing her creative output. Whether at the treasure trove of uniquely handcrafted silver jewellery or the irreverent and joyful ceramic and wooden sculptures or the large canvases hung on the vast former Sunday school’s wall; there is always an identifiable thread that runs through her work. Nancy’s expertise lies in never allowing technique to override judgement and never becoming complacent in her skills with paint, wood, silver and ceramic. She constantly strives to create afresh and that’s a small part of what makes her work so vibrant and original.

Sarah Brittain
Director, Cornwall Contemporary