For more than 80 years, Sarnia Arts & Crafts has been Guernsey’s major arts club and its annual exhibitions have allowed generations of islanders to share their work with the public, from watercolours to wool weaving and pastels to pottery. Scarlett Bayfield reports THIS year an impressive array of art and craft works is on display at the Sarnia Arts & Crafts exhibition at Elizabeth College, including Bryony Vivian’s glass craft and David Richards’ pottery.

‘It is very exciting,’ said club president Richard Thompson.

‘The quality is amazing this year and we have a real mixed bag.

‘The paintings have all sorts of subject matter –

a lot of it is Guernsey, but some is imaginative. We have still lifes, landscapes, seascapes and portraits but not as many floral paintings as usual.’

Wandering around the hall, an observer might notice an unusual number of works featuring the area around Portelet.

‘We went there and painted the boathouse in one of our workshops,’ said Mr Thompson.

‘The club normally gets a professional artist to come over twice a year for a concentrated two-day workshop. It is very successful and it’s great discipline for the artists.’ Sarnia Arts and Crafts club meets weekly throughout the year to give members time to dedicate to their paintings.

‘We meet on Thursdays in St Peter’s and we all paint or work on the thing we’re doing. It is good to do that because it’s so easy to do something else and not get on with the work.’

The glass craft by Bryony Vivian includes lamps, mirrors, sun-catchers and stained-glass roundels.

‘I have been a member of the club for about four years. They don’t have a lot of craft so I thought I would exhibit my work.

‘I am a professional and this gives me the opportunity to exhibit some of my smaller stuff.

It’s nice to get out and see people, as I am usually stuck in my workshop. It is nice to see that there are so many talented people in Guernsey and there are lots of things going on. The club is always happy to have new members.’

The exhibition has not been held at the college before and the change of venue has caused mixed reactions among the artists.

Mrs Vivian said that it was a more convenient place to hold the event, as it was close to the centre of Town. It has been really quite busy and I think it is because it is easier to get to,’ she said. ‘It is a much better venue.’

However, potter David Richards was unhappy with the size of the space.

‘I regard the hall as too small,’ he said. ‘I have had two pots broken at this exhibition by people wandering around with shoulder bags and knocking the heavy plinths.

‘We used to have it at Ladies’ College and that was a lovely venue, but forces beyond our control have decreed that we have it here and we have to live with that.’

Mr Richards’ pottery is mostly smoke-fired.

To create unique patterns on the clay, he wraps the wet pots with materials such as seaweed, copper wire, rags or leaves from his garden before they are fired in the kiln.

‘This all plays a part in the decoration,’ he said.

Mr Richards has already sold half of what he has on display.

‘It is very pleasing,’ he said. ‘At exhibitions out of the island, I would expect to sell about a third.

To sell 50% in only four days is really very good.

When you make these things, you are never quite sure how folk will receive them. This reaction is very pleasing and humbling.’