‘‘One Careful Lady Owner’’, Madeleine Child
IF the exhibition’s title was not hint enough, one glance at the works in One Careful Lady
Owner will reveal an exhibition with more than a touch of whimsical humour at Eskdale Gallery.
Madeleine Child has taken a simple idea and made something special of it. Her exhibition consists of created and found ceramic items, in the form of small birds sitting on perches. The works, which are separate, become a mixandmatch of avian and plinth, each possible combination producing a new unique effect.
The birds in the exhibition — all seemingly casually and superficially named (Perky, Pretty
Boy, Gladys) — are handmade, brightly coloured and fiercely glazed. The perches, on the other hand, are largely formed from found objects — mostly half bricks, which have been painted, glazed, and added to with individually shaped clay pieces attached with bright purple Egyptian paste.
The effect, initially, is one of surprise, but surprise laced with a humorous appreciation for the works. The obvious brickwork places these caricatures of birds squarely in a real work setting, making them seem out of place and completely at home. Without the artist’s skill, the pieces could have turned out as kitschy and ugly, but thanks to Child’s humour and work they are attractive if unusual decorative pieces.