Ceramics and abstracts feature in latest 'Art in the Atrium' gallery.
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa has partnered with Gavagan Art to bring the abstract works of Sir Terry Frost RA and his son Anthony Frost to its Summer 2025 ‘Art in the Atrium’ gallery. The exhibition has been complemented with the addition of the contemporary designs of local ceramicist James Hake.
Renowned for his use of Cornish light, colour and shape, Terry Frost was a highly distinguished British abstract artist whose work won critical acclaim. His paintings are held in numerous collections around the world including The Tate Gallery in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
With his work featuring in various prominent public and private collections, Anthony Frost has emerged as a prominent artist in his own right too, whilst James Hake is an established ceramic artist who has exhibited his work at Ceramic Art London 2025, the industry showcase event for the world’s best potters.
English Lakes Hotels executive chairman Simon Berry says:
As a family business, it’s inspiring to host the works of both Terry and Anthony in the same display, not least because they both stayed with us at Lancaster House Hotel on separate occasions in the late 1990s and early 2000s whilst exhibiting in the North West.
We are also thrilled to feature the work of a local born artist in James Hake. His work is equally fascinating, working with locally sourced materials to produce new types of glazes for broad abstract decorations."
English Lakes Hotels executive chairman Simon Berry
This exhibition here in The Atrium at Low Wood Bay, is curated by Gavagan Art. Gavagan Art, in Lancaster, works with artists from throughout the British Isles with an emphasis on artists from the North of England with many artists based in either Yorkshire, Lancashire or Cumbria.
In partnership with Gavagan Art, Art in the Atrium at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa provides an accessible, free and informal way of being able to see a display of fine art in the resorts' spacious Atrium.
Anthony Frost was born in St. Ives Cornwall in 1951. He studied at Cardiff College of Art, before returning to South West Cornwall where he lives and works. Anthony is known for his vibrant abstract paintings, collages and limited edition prints. He often incorporates found materials like sailcloth and textured fabrics into his paintings.
He has exhibited widely and his work is in many public as well as private collections: The Contemporary Arts Society, Cornwall County Council, Eton College, Kasser Foundation New York, Nuffield Trust, Truro Museums and Art Galleries, Anglo American PLC London.
When starting a painting I don’t know the problems I will have to deal with until the painting is well on the go and the secret (for me) is to keep the whole thing on the boil right to the end, so the finished work has that feeling of excitement, speed and danger. I try to take all of my paintings to the edge, it is a voyage of discovery, full of surprises, problems, accidents, (happy accidents that I use to my advantage) and decisions, which all have to be resolved in some crazy way. I attempt with colour and marks to create my own space, rhythms, weight, speed and volume. A great inspiration to me while I’m painting is music, especially music by The Fall and Captain Beefheart. I want the visual equivalent of an aural sensation!!
British artist Terry Frost RA (1915-2003) was a leading figure in British abstract art. Born in Leamington Spa, he left school at the age of fourteen and worked at a cycle shop in Coventry until the outbreak of war. He served in Palestine and Greece, before being captured in 1941. Frost remained a prisoner until the end of the war, an experience that changed his outlook on life and introduced him to the possibilities of art.
Whilst being held prisoner in Bavaria, Frost began to paint encouraged by fellow prisoner Adrian Heath. On his return to Britain, Frost moved to St. Ives in Cornwall and became one of the artists associated with the growing artistic community in the town. He attended the St. Ives School of Art before spending 1947 - 1950 commuting to London in order to attend Camberwell School of Art.
His early work was figurative, but it was the influence of Victor Pasmore at Camberwell, combined with that of the artist Ben Nicholson that led Frost to paint his first abstract painting in 1949.
In the 1950s he was employed as visiting lecturer at the Bath Academy of Art, and became Gregory Fellow in Painting at the University of Leeds 1954-56 He taught at Leeds College of Art and Reading University. In 1974 he moved from St. Ives to Newlyn, Cornwall.
Terry Frost was elected Royal Academician in 1992 and made Knight of the Realm for services to Art and Art Education 1998. His work is held in numerous private and public collections around the world including The Tate Gallery London, The Museum Of Modern Art, New York City, and the National Gallery of Canada.
Working from his studio on the edge of the Lake District, James Hake uses oriental glazes to create distinctive wheel-thrown ceramics which reflect the dynamic processes of the natural world. After studying design at Manchester Metropolitan University James trained in ceramics near Kilkenny in Ireland where the disciplined focus on technique gave him the tools and space to discover his individual style.
It was following a visit to an exhibition at the Lake District’s Arts and Crafts House Blackwell in 2001 that his interest in Japanese ceramics took hold. The exhibition also featured work by the English potter Edward Hughes (1953–2006) who’s work has remained constant reference point throughout James’ career. James established his studio, a converted barn in rural north Lancashire, more than a decade ago. Today James’ work combines simplicity of form with thick experimental glazes and a preference for locally-sourced materials.
Taking inspiration from Japanese ceramics, his work — which ranges from generously proportioned chargers to palm-sized tealight holders — is also influenced by the sea-glazed sand and simplicity of Morecambe Bay near his home. Solitude and open landscapes have enabled him to forge his own way and make objects that feel both honest and unique. His confident, distinctive style has been honed over years of ‘decision making’; the slow, instinctive process of working out what interests him as an artist, paring away the things that don’t matter.
I have developed a palette of my own glazes. These range from subtle Shinos, to rich, dark Tenmokus and Copper Reds. Glazes are applied quickly by dipping and pouring in different combinations, which fuse together in the heat of the kiln. I am always adapting and experimenting with glaze, searching for different colours and textures to complement ceramic form. Currently I am investigating using local materials from quarries, clay seams and wood ashes in my glazes.
Other artists whose work curated by Gavagan Art, that have had exhibitions as part of the Art in the Atrium gallery.
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