Take a line for a walk

​

The display presents a quaint, between the lines conversation, borrowing Paul Klee’s quote ‘Drawing is taking a line for a walk’.
Connecting the selected pieces to form a group of items which speak the same language. It express and shares the excitement and obsession that conquered Bernard Leach when he moved from etching to brush strokes. Leach's brush lines reveal an unexpected, yet naive power and warmth. The excitement vividly expressed in Leigh Hunt’s poem ‘Jenny kissed me’, when the young lady kissed the writer in an unexpected visit. Irene Wellington calligraphy, Bernard Leach and Lucie Rie ceramics and Ethel Mairet and Peter Collingwood textiles are taking their lines for a whimsical walk. All items are sharing elements in their laconic designs, acknowledging the importance of simple beauty.

The rhythm of the poem is depicted at Leach’s brush strokes and Rie’s exquisitely designed lines. It’s simple beauty is conveyed in Wellington’s calligraphy.