This winter, Velarde is delighted to present On the Edge of Stillness, a group exhibition featuring artists, Rachel Arif, Sonia Barton, Susanna Bauer, Tim Copsey, Frances Gynn RWA, Bethany Kohrt, Penny Little, Matilda Smyth.

The exhibition invites viewers to slow down and notice the small, delicate details of the world around them. Each artist shares their own view of this quiet space, but together, their work tells a shared story about connection, reflection, beauty and transformation.

Rachel Arif captures the atmospheric language of the sea with a focus on its colour transitions, energy, and sublime beauty. Her seascapes resonate with the sea’s shifting moods and rhythms, evoking the profound emotional and elemental force of nature. Sonia Barton’s still life paintings explore the passage of time through layered surfaces, muted palettes, and a playful distortion of form. Everyday objects are reworked and repositioned around the canvas leaving traces of their previous existence. Susanna Bauer creates airy sculptures with dried leaves and delicate crochet. Her works are a meditation on the beauty and intricacy found in the natural world and a reflection of complex and tender relationships both within ourselves and our environment. Tim Copsey’s ceramics highlight the beauty of imperfection, irregularity and experimentation. Tim is inspired by Japanese forms and techniques alongside his local landscape of the Peak District Pennine. Frances Gynn RWA brings observation and presence to the natural world through her beautiful depictions of woodland birds and animals. Her etchings, monotypes and oils convey a consciousness of human connection to nature. Bethany Kohrt explores the connection between our inner world and the world around us. Her paintings are shaped by memories and cultural history, especially from her childhood spent around Chinese antiques and Southeast Asian fabrics. Penny Little’s intimate, hand-formed porcelein vessles blend raw, organic forms with luminous gold and platinum, echoing the contrasts of winter light. Matilda Smyth, recipient of the inaugural South West Arts Graduate Award with Arts University Plymouth x Velarde, examines the remembered landscape through drawing, painting, and sculpture.