ContemporaryArtTavistock
 
We have finally emerged from our winter hibernation and are ready for business. We are featuring the exciting work of the artist Ben Langworthy in our Spring show 'Renewal'. Alongside this artist we shall also be exhibiting new work by the collective. After thawing out we hope that everyone comes back for a look at the new work and hopefully it will be warmer inside !!
 
Post Title. 11/23/2010
 
We have now moved form Paddons Row to I Church Lane (Formerly Foulston's) Opening on Saturday 27th November
After much cleaning and painting we are nearly ready to hang the new show in the new building>
 
 
Ingredients

100g plain chocolate, broken into small chunks
2 large eggs
125g softened butter
275g caster sugar / vanilla sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
50g self-raising flour
25g plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
A 20cm square cake tin 6 cms deep

 1 Heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/ Gas mark 4, grease and line tin with baking parchment

 2 Melt chocolate in bowl over water or in microwave

 3 Mix the sugar, butter, vanilla essence and eggs and beat together.

 4 Sift both types of lour and the cocoa powder into the mixture, mix and then add the melted chocolate. Stir the ingredients.

 5 Spoon the mixture into the tin, then bake the brownies for 35 minutes. They are ready when they have risen slightly and a crust has formed on top, but they will still be soft in the middle.

 6 Leave the brownies in the tin for 20 minutes, then cut into squares
 
 
Ingredients
2 lemons
3 eggs
50g butter, softened
300g caster sugar
250g tub of ricotta cheese
175g self-raising flour
75g white chocolate
A 20cm square cake tin, at 6 cm deep

1 grease the tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grate the rind of the lemons.

2 separate the egg whites from the yolks into 2 large bowls. Whisk the egg whites until they are thick. They should make stiff peaks.


3 add the butter, sugar and lemon rinds to the egg yolks and beat together. Add the ricotta slowly, beating after each spoonful.

4 sift the flour over the mixture. Fold it together then fold in the egg whites. Then spoon the mixture into the cake tin.

5 smooth the top of the cake mixture and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until it feels firm when you touch it.

6 while the cake is still hot, push chopped up chunks of white chocolate into the top of the cake.

7 when the cake has cooled, cover with lemon icing (lemon juice mixed with icing sugar)
 
 
Well, it seems a very long time since we updated the blog. After a busy summer and launch, we are settling down now into more of a routine, and have had a fantastic response to our first two shows. Jules and I have been pretty overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the town, its artists, visitors and residents. What started as a temporary 'meanwhile' project seems to have tapped into a real need within Tavistock for a contemporary art space and we are delighted to have been at the forefront of this movement.

So, in order not to squander the goodwill and enthusiasm generated, we have decided to form an artists' collective to continue the ethos of the project and our inaugural show will be taking place towards the end of October.

Many thanks to the huge numbers of you who have madecontact through the website, and my apologies to those patiently awaiting a reply. I have only just worked out how to read your messages, and was glumly sitting at home wondering why nobody had contacted us! Oops!
 
 
Well, we hung the second show much more easily... we are getting into the swing of it now.  Very exciting to have new artists to work with.  It all feels very different to the first show - we had a Private View last night and the work was well received... there were several sales too! 


Anyway - I have to return the glasses after the party and upload some pictures for you to see.
 
Week 2! 08/15/2010
 
We have just come to the end of our second week... there are an amazing number of people coming to visit the gallery and it is lovely to show everybody the work and have a chat.  

Saturday "Cake Day" is proving popular - my recipe isn't as detailed as Laura's - but it still works - there was none left again!

I still feel such a thrill when I unlock the door in the morning and put out the signs, switch on the film, make a lovely cup of tea and then take a look around the gallery.  It has been a great experience - and Laura and I would really like to keep it all going - so now we have to do some more planning...

We are working on the next show  - it is called Dart and is based on elements of Dartmoor and the river Dart.  We have found some new artists who are just launching their careers as well as some more established ones. 
 
Private View.... 08/02/2010
 
A few pics of the party.
 
Grand Opening! 08/02/2010
 
After a quick tidy up and removal of pretzels from the carpet, we were ready for our Grand Opening.... within seconds of opening the door we had our first of many visitors.  There was a steady stream of interested viewers, we had tea and cake, and spent the whole day talking about the gallery and the art.  The whole day was so exciting - and then it got even more exciting when David Bailey paid us a visit!  It's an interesting step to be showing your work in a gallery, especially if you are running the gallery too.  Everything looks different when it's taken out of your own studio and put into a serious setting - I feel really proud of what we have done.... ( I don't want to blow my own trumpet or anything ...)  it is amazing.  I recommend it to all you artists out there - give it a go, it's great for meeting new people, gives you a real buzz when it is done and provides you with a credible showcase for your work.  
 
 
The final labels and hoovering was done.  The fizz was cooling and the sun came out!  We had an amazing evening with loads of guests coming to see the gallery.  The Mayor of Tavistock and fellow guest spent an hour with us, David and Sue Balment were also able to join us.  There was a great vibe and energy all evening - we got lots of positive comments and congratulations!  The show looks fabaroony, thanks to everybody who helped us - Dave, Glyn, Ann, Richard, Roger, Rosie, Molly, Rosie and Maisie in particular....  Thanks also to everybody who came along - please spread the word.  x