Newlyn Art Gallery: Summer Group Show, Tim Ridley, Bryony Fulton, Melanie Young and Henrietta MacPhee

This exhibition runs until 4th July 2026

The picture gallery on the ground floor was home to this small exhibition highlighting work by four contemporary artists.

Henrietta MacPhee's is a ceramicist and her display actually looked more like tiny little paintings.  Her ceramic miniatures each featured an everyday scene and it felt like her work was an interesting match for Caroline Walkers in this sense.  It was less gender focused but still a collection of small often un-noticed moments.  Each miniature was presented in a frame and required a close look to see all the tiny details.

My favourite was a close encounter where a deer on a TV seems to gaze back at the small child standing inches from the TV gazing back.  For so many children these days, these are the closest encounters they will have with such animals.

Bryony Fulton is a painter who delights in abstract geometry and colour.  I loved her paintings.  Apparently, she translates the designs on to canvas by hand in order to explore the juxtaposition between these perfect shapes and human imperfection.  Except, she is so precise in her work, I would not have been able to tell.  I didn't see the imperfection, just a lovely graphical art which looked very conscious and disciplines.  I think so often, imperfection is in the eye of the creator....

Tim Ridley created tiny miniature diptychs.  Most were connected by hinges but others were framed so two pieces sat separate within one frame.  They are made from wood, painting, hinges and found objects.  Apart from the framed one, they were presented on tiny little shelves, each unique.  They were fascinating to look at.

Melanie Young's paintings featured women, but in quite a different way to Caroline Walker's.  They were much less documentary and much more impressionistic.  I did not find it was easy to understand the perspectives being presented and I think I could have benefitted from more explanation.  There were stories here that I did not know, but would have liked to have done!

I do think that for these group shows with less well known artists, the works are expected to stand on their individual merit.  It is far less about the artists exploration and the ethos behind their works, the stories.  This must be a huge challenge.  Its a soundbite, a headline...  with no way to read the rest of the article.  I think as a viewer, I would advise any artist in this position to make sure they have an online presence, a way to engage people with the whole story...

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