Bibliography
Mary Ahern - Heirloom
After he died we found boxes of the stuff
gathering dust in the loft, mouldering in his cluttered shed.
Ashtrays, bowls and dishes, jugs, planters, boots and clogs,
mugs adorned with birds and fishes, posy vases, posy troughs.
Relics of a lifetime spent labouring in the pottery,
the pottery in the garden, the pottery in Edenfield.
Tea-time talk was of blungers, pugmills, jiggers and jolleyers
while Nan loaded the Heirloom plates, seconds from the factory shop,
with meat and tatty pie and gravy. Hard graft, a forty-five hour week
mastering moulding techniques, the art of screen-printing, squeegees
pulling the glaze over the screen, pushing the glaze through the design
positive onto the bisque-fired pots. Fired at 1100˚C or more, hotter
than liquid lava, Grandad said. Laughed at how Hornsea’s clever
resist print was discovered by some fluke, how the glaze
had rolled and pooled in driblets and globs like some Plinian eruption,
produced a glaze-resist invention deep in the craw of the tunnel kiln.
I claimed the hoard of mismatched Heirloom, teak-lidded jars,
spray-glazed dinner plates, stackable cups, a D-handled coffee pot
the greens, the blues, the browns, rich and dark as the earth they came from
throbbing with glaze and metallic oxides –
red iron, cobalt, celadon, antinomy, chrome.
Above: Fred Elwell’In the Studio’, 1913
Above: John Sprakes‘Single Seed Head across Yorkshire Wolds’
Young Persons Writing and Art Prize
We are so pleased to announce the winners of our young person’s writing and art competition and to showcase some of the fabulous work produced.
We invited artists under 21 to make an art work in response to Mary Aherne’s poem ‘Heirloom’; and writers, also under 21, to respond to either Fred Elwell’s painting ‘In the Studio’ (1913) or John Sprakes’ ‘Single Seed Head across Yorkshire Wolds’. These pieces can be seen on the left.
(The Elwell painting is part of Beverley Art Gallery’s permanent collection and the Sprakes work was in a recent temporary exhibition at the gallery).
We were amazed at the variety of work produced. Several of the artists connected the themes of the poem to events or experiences in their own lives and we loved the way they used different materials and processes to create meaning. The writers thought about the passing of time, reflected on the role of women, imagined themselves in the paintings, wrote about war and conflict and much much more.
This made us think of paintings and poems as being like treasure troves, where each individual can discover their own ideas, thoughts, images and meanings, and how these can be the starting point for new creative work.
We plan to do this all again next year and we hope you enjoy the work as much as we did.
A special thanks to:
Evan Chapman (from Beverley joint 6th form) who had the original idea for the competition and was also on the judging panel
To all the schools who took part – particularly Beverley High School +Joint 6th Form, Archbishop Sentamu and Hull Collegiate
Mary Aherne for being on the judging panel and for the use of her lovely poem
Helena Cox from Beverley Art Gallery and Emma Garness from ERT – for judging, helping, supporting….
And to all the young artists and writers (and their families) thank you so much for taking part and sharing your work with us. Keep writing, painting and drawing and keep in touch with us at The Critical Fish
Overall winners
Art Prize
Livie Dalee (19)
The Only Days That Matter
(Are The Ones Spent With You)
‘For me the poem reflects the identity and life of a person through their old belongings’
Writing Prize
Tom K. (15)
Studio of the Mind
An esteemed depiction of ignorant bliss.
Creativity flows gallantly through the soul
of a woman distressed yet feeling nonchalantly whole.
A forced smile emits her struggle and pain
Escaping to artistry as a means to stay sane
A war not fought with guns and cannons
But with thoughts, feelings and sincere regret.
Thoughts of lust and love lost, a happiness debt
Her feelings conveyed through her hands to the paint
The eye meets an eloquent widow, though the mind is far less quaint.
Visual poetry on a canvas calm
In the studio of serenity, tranquil and carefree.
Contrasting to the continent of conflict, but a hefty fee
is the conflict brewing and playing on the mind
of a widowed woman, to a studio confined.
14-18 winners
Art Prize
Isobel Y. (17)
In Memoriam
Writing Prize
Isabel G. (14)
Time Will Tell
Tick tock as the world goes by,
I sit here posing as he looks in my eye,
I twinkle, sparkle in the light,
And keep on ticking in the death of night.
They called me special, one of a kind,
With a glisten, I can make you blind!
Tick tock as the world goes by,
The memories make my mother cry,
Yes, I’m a watch, but I caused much glee,
Turning round my hands of three,
Seconds, minutes, hours, days,
Most would say it was all a haze.
Tick tock as the world goes by,
They are old and grey, I would ask them why,
As time never dies, it was all a bit crazy,
Fred stopped painting, his hands where getting lazy,
Tick tock as the world goes by,
Fred is gone, Mary is asking why,
Their tale didn’t end in happy ever after,
But behind this painting is joy and laughter.
Under 14 winners
Art Prize
Hatty C. (10)
Writing Prize (Joint Winners)
Daisy A. (U14)
Waiting,Watching
Her hands looked soft,
Her smile looked warm,
Her eyes looked kind.
She watched the hallway like a hawk,
Greeting people silently,
She welcomed them to her home,
She sat on the wall all day and watched,
Waiting and waiting,
But for what,
This beautiful woman,
Inside a frame,
Sat on the wall and waited,
Was she trapped,
Perhaps stuck in the painting,
Or was she happy there,
Watching her home in joy,
Waiting for her family.
Her hands looked soft,
Her smile looked warm,
Her eyes looked kind,
Waiting,
watching.
.Lily B-M. (12)
‘In The Studio’ By Fred Elwell
The painting shows a woman, Mary, sat in a large room. She seems to have light shining upon her, unlike the rest of the dimly lit room. She is dressed in various blue garments, smiling and is resting her rosy cheeks on her hands. One of her arms is positioned on the navy fur across her lap which is falling down from where it is wrapped around her shoulders. A golden faced watch is attached to her wrist by a black strap, ticking away as she ponders on what her next painting could be. On the table next to her sits a large, blue cup in which various sized paintbrushes stand. Next to the cup, there lies a used wooden paint palette with more brushes sprawled across it. Behind Mary and her table, a dark wall is situated. There hang two golden-framed paintings and on the right hand side of the room a tall piece of furniture is propped against the wall. It seems to be displaying various golden cups and trophies, most of which Mary likely won in art competitions or festivals. On the opposite side of the room, a piece of dark-oak furniture is located underneath one of the golden-framed paintings, possibly being a small chair or bureau.
The feelings and suggestions evoked in this picture could be interpreted in different ways. For example, the main theme of the painting: Fred could have painted his wife to show how much they love and are truly devoted to each other, as she is staring lovingly, most probably at Fred himself. Alternatively, Fred could be showing how women can be artists in their own right, as he has painted her surrounded by paintbrushes, and what are probably her paintings. This could give off the impression that Fred was passionate about equality.
Another example could even be the fact that Mary is wearing a fur: This could be interpreted in a few ways. Firstly, she or the studio could be cold, meaning she chose to wear an extra layer. Or secondly, she could be unhappy about the way her shoulders look, either in the studio light or in general. This could further suggest that she is of an insecure personality.
When I look at this painting, it inspires me. To me, it gives off the idea that anyone can be anything- no matter what gender they are. This painting is particularly inspiring because it is painted by a man, which shows that men could also have opinions on the issue of gender inequality as well as women. Of course, I could be completely wrong, and Fred could just have painted his dear Mary to show how much he loved her, and how he wanted her individually to be whatever she wanted, rather than all women. Despite the possibilities, I like to think of it as if it was Fred’s way of showing how he felt about the gender inequality issue.
Runners up
Stella P. (8)
‘Pot Plate’
Alice I. (12)
Charlie P. (11)
‘Glaze’
Evie M. (U14)
‘In the Studio’ by Fred Elwell
Alone, she stared at the blank wall, unaware of the quickly passing time, minutes turned into hours and still she did not move. Memories from her past marriage played like a slideshow through her already traumatised brain.
Was getting re-married the right idea?
What if it turns out like the last?
Would she still be married to her husband if he didn’t pass away?
There were too many questions that simply couldn’t be answered. Maybe it was the right way to go, getting remarried could give her life a new purpose, forget about her past and move forward, there’s no point looking back now.
Suddenly, she picked up her paintbrush and started painting, this had been her hobby since a child, it was like with a paintbrush in her hand she could let go of her worries, relax her hand and off it went with a mind of its own. She drew her and her new husband dancing at a wedding and if she stared for long enough it was as if they began to move.
Delilah W.H. (12)
Faith P. (U14)
Single Seed Head across Yorkshire Wolds
The different patterns and colours all sat on the top half of the canvas. All different to one another. All unique. All beautiful. Every single colour stood out, it was like an artist had taken all the brightest colours and splashed them onto one area. There are no blank spaces here, it is just full of joy and happiness. This happiness is emitted by these colours. They make you feel warm inside. The patterns give a different effect. An effect that shows something can be the same colour but have something different about them. This is what makes them unique. Uniqueness shows the difference in things that look similar but are not.
The bottom half of the canvas, darker than the rest. It seemed to have more of a different effect to the top. An effect which seems more moody. The darker colours take over the canvas, making it more noticeable. It acted like the ground and the bright colors are the sky. This image is beautiful, radiant with all sorts of colors and separate images.