The three galleries were looking their best following the winter closure and the opportunity to re-decorate and refit. The coffee-bar and shop area is perhaps most obviously where this has been effective. Re-arrangement of the showcases and bookshelves, combined with new lighting, has given considerable impetus to this part of the gallery as a point of relaxation and contemplation of the work on show.

Adopting the idea of greater integration between two and three dimensional work, a more fluid arrangement of the work is evident in the Main Gallery with this current showing from the members. Placing within the space certainly supports notions of curatorial harmony between the genres, unquestionably re-enforcing the ideals that Borlase Smart set out in those heady days of formation in 1949. This is a credit to the curatorial team responsible for the whole exhibition and fully worthy of the Society’s illustrious past and the unique history that is St Ives. 
Competition for wall space in the New Gallery from the associates was fierce but the consensus is that the choice of allowing more generous spacing is an improvement that promotes better reading of the work of those successful in selection.

Two Cornish born artists are showing in the Studio Gallery, with paintings from Iona Sanders and sculpture from Tom Leaper, with work that demonstrates how ”both appreciate the impact of colour, especially when used sparingly, while carefully considered compositions are well-judged for visual balance”.

Further information about the Penwith Society and the Penwith Gallery may be found here