Art, Phillippa Threlfall

 

The ceramic relief murals of
PHILIPPA THRELFALL
There is so much on this site its well worth a visit. I’m very lucky because I’ve visited a few local art exhibitions recently which set me thinking about how little art the average member of the public is exposed too.
For this reason I’ve always had a particular fondness for public art, commissioned public art is the only art many people get to see.
The public art of Philippa Threlfall is a particularly good example of art that is accessible to every one and it’s good to see that art of this quality is available to every one, all you need do to view it is to walk down the right street, work in the right office or go to the right school. I wish more public art was commissioned. 
All information and photographs taken from here.
http://www.philippathrelfall.com/

Philippa Threlfall has been making relief murals in ceramic since the 1960s. Together with her husband and partner Kennedy Collings she has completed over one hundred major works on sites all over the United Kingdom and overseas.
Some of these were made for private clients, but most were commissioned for display in public situations - shopping precincts, banks, building societies, an airport, hospital and office developments.
They lived and worked in Wells, Somerset, where they had a medieval cottage within the Liberty of Wells Cathedral. The property had been a cider house called Ye Blacke Dogge in the early seventeenth century, and Philippa and Kennedy named their business Black Dog after this medieval name.
The medium has always been terracotta and buff clays imprinted and textured and modelled in low relief.
The ceramic is fired right up at the top of the earthenware spectrum (over 1100°) with selectively applied glazes. Philippa always mixed her own glazes, using natural oxides producing soft rich colours which sink into the textured surface adding richness and detail. As well as ceramic, the murals often included natural stone, aggregate, pebbles and slate as in the detail shown here from Exploration Obelisk at Redcliffe Quay in Bristol.

The combination of stone and ceramic proved a vandal-proof surface, and the accessible subject matter and tactile qualities of the works has always seemed to attract a wide cross-section of people.

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Oct 25, '10 These are brilliant!! I agree, not enough people have opportunities to absorb art, or society has made it taboo for certain folk to enjoy it...

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Oct 25, '10 i love them all!

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Oct 25, '10 How I would love to see this kind of art more in our cities!

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Oct 25, '10 I really like her work. I agree there should be more public art. I was in Wells earlier this year, and I thinkIi saw their place you mentioned.

delete reply vickiecollins wrote on Oct 24, '10 Nice.. http://vickiecollins.multiply.com/journal/item/1222/Art_Sunday

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Oct 24, '10 wow! :)

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Oct 24, '10 I think murals of any kind of media enhance buildings and make them to be looked at. There's a lot of work in these pieces, the artist must work very, very hard.

delete reply horizan wrote on Oct 24, '10 Thanks for sharing it all , It's fantastic .

delete reply rosiefielding2 wrote on Oct 24, '10 this is amazing art , loved all the shots love Rosie.