Committee

Many of the Committee members, all of whom live locally, are themselves artists and every few years a Committee Exhibition is held in the Gallery.

Officers

Chairman: Zoe Mair came to the Halesworth area in 1974 and has
held a variety of posts in education. She enjoys theatre, film, music and art, and her own creativity is channelled into her garden.

Treasurer: David Moreton, a keen and enthusiastic bowls player, retired from the banking world in 1999 and after 27 years in Folkestone moved up to Halesworth.

Exhibitions Officer: Paul Cope originally from Leicester, is head of art at Gisleham Middle School. He has worked in film, photography, digital imagery, but mainly drawing, print and painting. He designs and updates the Gallery's website.

Members

Anne Paton trained at the Chelsea School of Art, and now works full time as a painter in Walberswick after a long career as a graphic designer. She participates regularly in the Suffolk Open Studios and her work is included in many public collections at home and abroad.

Jan Martin studied at Hornsey and Norwich Art Schools. She paints landscapes, often with buildings, as well as people and portraits.

Jennifer Thomas has studied painting for 14 years with Gerald Nason in Laxfield. Working mainly in pastels, her Indian travels have greatly influenced her art.

Alan Bennet has been making paintings and drawings of trees, landscape and people since childhood. He had studied at Harrow and Sheffield Colleges of Art and has exhibited his work from time to time, most notably - a solo show at Windsor Castle in 2002. He was employed by Brunel University from 1969 to 2006 with the final 25 years working as Curator of the gallery and art collection. The University awarded him with an Honorary Fellowship in 2008. Alan now lives and paints in Halesworth. Alan takes care of the installation and taking down of shows.

Penny Hunt

Alice Garland

After a foundation course at Norwich School of Arts, Alice went on to study painting, printing and ceramics at Camberwell College of Arts, London, graduating in 2000 with a BA in Ceramics.
From 2001 to 2004 Alice worked for a pottery suppliers as a technician for potters and sculptors as well as continuing her own work, including collaborating with designer Russell Sage for his 2002 London fashion week collection, which featured a dress made from hundreds of her hand painted tiles. She also worked with fashion designers Natascha Stolle and Peter Jensen making jewellery and accessories for their collections. Her work has also been featured in various magazines.
In December 2008 she left London and has set up her own workshop in Suffolk.
She exhibits and sells her work at selected galleries nationwide.

THE SELECTION COMMITTEE

Selection of artists' work for exhibition takes place in January of each year, following advertisements in the national and local art press.

The Selection Committee comprises:

Tony Casement
Paul Cope
Jan Martin
Anne Paton
Alice Palser*

*Alice Palser is a founder member of the Great Eastern Craft Co-operative in Southwold. Her garden sculptures and ceramics often echo the influences of her childhood in Africa.