West Bay – Beatitudes featuring Cheryl Campbell

Actress and now artist Cheryl Campbell is having her debut exhibition of the mirrors she has been making for years at Sladers Yard in West Bay with David Inshaw’s West Bay – Beatitudes and furniture by Petter Southall. Humorous and at the same time beautiful, the mirrors are an intensely personal expression of the memories and dreams of her life. Her biggest piece is called Autobiography 1994-97, a 5ft x 3ft 3-dimensional mosaic of shells. The exuberant shapes and subtle colours combining with her careful arrangement into a magnificent piece of work.

When Cheryl embarked on her acting career she was acutely aware that she wouldn’t be satisfied with being an actress for the whole of her working life. Art school and being a sculptor beckoned, among other things, but drama was extremely tempting too. The argument was, ’Äò I can take up art in my middle years but would be ill advised to do it the other way round. Acting, for women, is definitely easier if approached from the front end.’

Her career encompasses stage, film, television and radio and an unusual acting range spanning tragedy through to extreme comedy. The Doll’s House for the RSC, Chariots of Fire, Testament of Youth and many radio plays including the recent Tomorrow and Today. With several notable awards under her belt, she feels that now is the time to ’Äòput down the mask and get going’.

The mirrors came about by accident. ’ÄòI wanted to make a shell grotto for years but left the house where I was going to do it before I began. Unfortunately, you need thousands of shells, so I’ve carried this strange cargo around with me for years, adding to the pile bit by little bit, eating them, finding them, being given a few but never buying them.

Ray in West Bay who dives for scallops gave me a large bag of scallop shells which I shall use in the grotto – I’ve not given that idea up yet – but I have so few in relation to what I will actually need. The dredging of scallops along this beautiful bountiful coastline is a travesty that shouldn’t be allowed to happen, destroying scallop beds by taking the immature ones along with all the rest. Such near-sightedness and absolute greed should be outlawed.
The only shell I’ve ever bought is the Conch on the large mirror and that was probably during the time I did Pennies from Heaven. I still don’t have nearly enough for the grotto.

That first mirror spawned other smaller ones. It is full of personal memories: often of meals I have shared with friends here and abroad, even eating the green-lipped muscles in NZ and tossing them into the garden stream at a friend’s house for the family of eels to clean for me. I was very well acquainted with the ’ÄòBig Daddy’ eel, as I called him, because, when pulling out the liana-like ropes of couch grass whilst cleaning the stream one day, I grasped him instead of the roots. Now it’s time to let the mirror go too.

I love using my hands, the best tools ever invented, and look forward to exploring all sorts of projects using paint, stone, wood and textiles. At the moment, however, the oyster is my world, and very tasty it is too.

Cheryl Campbell is showing her mirrors with
West Bay - Beatitudes by David Inshaw at Sladers Yard from 27 May until 28 July 2007. Also featuring Petter Southall’s i tre furniture. Separate press releases available.

David Inshaw talk: Thursday, 5 July, 8pm. Tickets £5 from Sladers Yard.

Sladers Yard, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL
Open: 10 – 5pm Wednesday – Saturday,
11 – 5pm Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.
For further information and bookings for the artist’s talk please visit sladersyard.co.uk,
email info@itrefurniture.co.uk or call Anna Powell on 01308 459511.

Petter Southall's showroom with Philosophy - Julian Bailey, Derek Nice and Petter Southall - West Bay - Beatitudes featuring Cheryl Campbell - Miranda Creswell's paintings and drawings - West Bay - Beatitudes by David Inshaw - Alfred Stockham, Miranda Creswell and Petter Southall - Out to Sea - Bailey Nice and Southall - The Need to Dream - Vanessa Gardiner - Tim Nicholson - Sladers Yard Christmas Show - Robin Rae