A contemporary art and craft exhibition with a spring feel is coming to Lyme Regis.

Ten art and craft-makers celebrate hope for brighter days and a rejuvenated life through creative practice in the exhibition Primavera at the Malthouse Gallery in the Town Mill Courtyard.

As the earth tilts imperceptibly towards the sun, the season of spring brings warmth and blossoms to our gardens, beaches become more populated and brave souls swim.

In the upcoming Primavera exhibition in Lyme Regis this Easter, textile artist Jane Colquhoun and ceramist Jane Staniland celebrate these intrepid bathers in stitch and clay, Jonathan Mulvaney on the other hand would rather a stroll in the countryside to capture the abundance of the season in paint.

Responding to these themes of renewal, rejuvenation and regrowth, Jenny Gracie returns to the gallery with her home-grown willow which she uses to weave baskets.

Alison Shelton Brown will install a cascade of porcelain clematis flowers incorporating sea-twine collected along the local shoreline.

Helen Eastham’s love of our coastline inspires her designs for glass vessels, while Sam Isaacs goes one step further incorporating the fishing floats he finds washed up on beaches in his unique recycled lamps.

Printmaker Jacqueline Mulvaney prefers to be inspired by the Catch of the Day, screen-printing plates of lobster and seafood, with a good recipe on the side.

Jewellery is a particular passion for curator Alison Shelton Brown and this year Anthony Wong of The Bluecoat in Liverpool is the featured out-of-towner, he specialises in making designs using precious metals which include elements of the found and uncovered, while local maker Robin Shelton responds, discovering the potential in the odd and overlooked in his wearable ornaments.

This exhibition provides the opportunity this Easter to enjoy a cornucopia of materials such as glass, clay, willow and fabric used by makers based in the South-West. Paint and printmaking techniques are on show, along with skilled design and workmanship in jewellery and lighting, all at affordable prices.

Five of the artists taking part in the show have a direct link to Dylan Shelton (aged 25) who was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer in 2021.

Sales of the hand-made cards will all go to the charity Sarcoma UK which is specifically researching and supporting mostly children, young adults and their families with this awful disease. 

Primavera will be at the Malthouse Gallery from Good Friday, April 7 to Thursday, April 13 from 10am to 5pm daily.