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Georgina Curtis and Mike Loveland
recently opened their fabulous gallery on
Eastgate in Cowbridge. Vale Life spent a
lovely early Spring morning talking art.
IN THE FRAME
What's are your backgrounds?
MIKE I was in the forces as a young man but I was injured, so I left and went back to college studying pneumatics and hydraulics and then went to work for a Japanese company as a robotics technician. If you recall those clever robots on the Renault Picasso advert, I was one of the guys that kept them happy. They do throw a wobbly now and again.
So how did you both get into art?
MIKE All through that time I was passionate about photography which led me into framing my own work. We moved from Worcestershire, reestablishing ourselves in Cardigan and bought the framing business. As I was interested in framing my own work, when the opportunity to buy the framing business presented itself we snapped it up.
GINA We developed the business, increased turnover dramatically and, of course, during this period, we came across a lot of stunning artwork and made a lot of great contacts with artists.
So why the leap for the both of you from a framing business in Cardigan to a gallery in Cowbridge?
GINA I was working in the private health sector and as we had a second home in Cardiff we thought we'd try to establish something in the area. We spent time considering where to place the gallery. We thought Cardiff was a little over-subscribed and we kept being drawn back to Cowbridge.
Has the gallery been open long?
MIKE We opened at the end of November after an extensive six month refurbishment of the building.
What art do you show?
GINA It's a pretty broad spectrum. We like to think we have something for every taste however we are conscious that art is very subjective. I think the one common thread that runs through the work we exhibit would be that it is quality led rather than price although like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
MIKE We also offer a framing service in-house and we sell great coffee and pastries and cakes within the chapel area of the gallery.
Who is selling well right now?
MIKE The Jones' (laughs), we have about seven Jones' who are all selling really well. I was going to say they're not related but two of them are. Meirion Jones and his father Aneurin. Meirion is a West Wales artist who was endorsed by Sir Kyffin Williams.
GINA Meirion's a young man with a really amazing talent and is fast becoming very collectable. He worked as a teacher for ten years but had to give that up due to the strength of his sales. His dad, Aneurin is an RCA artist and is one of our big names. He also has a particularly strong following and sells very, very well.
MIKE Martyn Jones is an abstract artist who is about to exhibit at The Robert Steele Gallery in New York. We also have some beautiful pieces from Corrie Chiswell, a Cardiff artist who produces stunning, thought provoking pieces. Her work is often intimate and claustrophobic but beautiful to look at. Corrie's work is a reflection of personal experience with a strong leaning towards surrealism and symbolism.
What's new for for Spring?
GINA We have a Welsh/American artist by the name of Jane Grant-Abban. She lives in Minnesota at the moment but has family in Wales. Jane is a figurative artist and sells well in America. We're so excited about this work because it has classic overtones. There is nothing quite like this in south Wales and we believe she's a hot prospect.
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