Craft In The Bay, Cardiff Bay
Until Sun 4 Nov
Inspired by journeys to the quarries of north Wales to see the slatescapes that loom sharp and silent around the flooded lakes, Frankie Locke brings Quarry. Known for her ceramic work, Locke has reduced her traditional circles of earthen-tone colour in favour of bright and vibrant block shades of glass. See, hidden in the dulcet browns and yellows of the rock in those quarries are bright hues of blue, purple and orange. Brightness and beauty hidden in plain sight in something many wouldn’t fixate on long enough to truly see. It is just a piece of rock after all.
Nature appears to be of very strong influence to Locke, as it is to many Welsh artists currently. The ripples and colours in the ceramic are deliberate, reflecting how they would naturally form in rock with changings of tide and mineral depositions. It is the way of the world that these things happen, and so it’s very easy to look past the wonder and beauty of it as just another fact of life. Quarry will likely be a fantastic lesson in perspective: taking just that bit longer to look at something and not just see it at face value may well unearth a hidden wonder and beauty that was actually there all along.
Admission: free. Info: 029 2048 4611 / www.makersguildinwales.org.uk
Words by Amy Ludford