To welcome the beginning of Spring artisan presents March Miscellany. artisan is delighted to welcome back Richard and Kate Baxter. They bring with them a group show of talented artists from Leigh-on-Sea with a special guest appearance by their London based friend/photographer Martin Wilson. Situated on the north banks of the Thames Estuary in Essex, Leigh-on-Sea is well known nationally for its large artist community. From SS9 to NW10 March Miscellany is a chance to purchase the work of this very gifted group of artists.

Since its launch in 2009, artisan continues to attract attention in North West London. The role of the gallery is to create a space which offers an opportunity for artists of many disciplines to showcase their work.

Sheila Appleton 's life is viewed with humour and imagination. A professional artist for over 60 years - she is described as deliciously eccentric. Sheila works in oil, acrylic, pen and ink, mixed media,& water colour. Her range of subjects covers a broad spectrum from pleine air oil paintings and drawings of local scenes of cockle boats and the Thames estuary to the countryside in Provence and UK. Sheila’s paintings are highly humorous and imaginative observations in pen and wash of everyday life.

Kate Baxter makes these rather perky Beaky Jugs, whose shape echoes the birds they portray in profile. Each piece is treated as an individual 'canvas' for a variety of decorative techniques including brushwork, stencilling, printing and sgraffito. The jugs are hand built in white earthenware, decorated with coloured slips and glazed with a lead-free transparent glaze.

Richard Baxter makes pots, which are spaces surrounded by a skin of clay. He feels that there is nothing quite like wheel-throwing in any other art or craft, as it combines individual creation with the efficiency of the machine. In his work there is an affinity with the ideals of modernism and minimalism: of containment, volume, mass, simplicity, harmony, rhythm, repetition and order. Cuts and openings in the surface allow light in and shadows to be cast, creating new perspectives, and linking interior and exterior. Richard Baxter works in translucent white porcelain utilizing its amazing colour response, doing lots of tests for new glazes to get the surfaces and tones he is after.

Brian Cuthbertson . Early retirement has enabled Brian to indulge his interests in music and art. Recently Brian had his first solo exhibition at Atelier Gallery in Leigh-on-Sea. Current work depicts the 'spines' of vinyl album covers, painted to reflect their age and use. Based on the premise that "...big is better..." the spines are painted five or six times larger than life-size. Thus the height of these paintings can be approximately 6ft. to 7ft. framed. An interactive catalogue is available to view on Brian's website.

Hilary Cuthbertson works predominantly in Sterling Silver with the addition of gold, copper and semi- precious stones, incorporating techniques such as forging, reticulation, Keum Boo and heat patination. Hilary's inspiration comes from the colours and textures of the beach and the erosion and discolouration of objects after contact with the sea and air, enabling Hilary to create one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces in a distinctly organic style.

Ian Smith 's reputation as an artist continues to expand and his work is finding an ever-growing audience.. He has painted for many years and his work is immediately recognisable for its strength, colour and design. Ian works in pen and wash, oils, acrylics, mixed media collage and assemblage. His subjects include local views, paintings from foreign travel, and other parts of the UK. These imaginative works have wide appeal for their diversity of technique and subject matter.

Martin Wilson creates his photographic images frame by frame on 35 mm film. Each work usually takes months to complete, as each frame is obsessively taken in sequence. No pasting together after the event, no cheating in Photoshop! If he makes a mistake or takes a frame out of place he starts the film again from the beginning. The filmstrips are then laid side by side to create the final image, literally making every picture count. Martin has exhibited throughout the UK and his reputation as an image maker is growing.