THREE contrasting exhibitions, demonstrating what a wealth of artistic talent there is in the Bude and Holsworthy areas, were previewed at Bude Castle on Saturday afternoon, March 10, writes Christine Williams.

In the Blanchminster Room, Julia Hobday and her friends Vivien and Martin Howse were displaying a collection of photographs under the title ‘Triple Vision’.

These were the fruits of a trip to Venice in November 2016 at the time of an Acqua Alta, an exceptional high tide which floods the city from time to time and changes its character.

The three photographers would stand together on the same spot and photograph the same subject, yet, with different techniques, to create three different images.

Julia produced colour digital photographs, Martin used traditional black and white film and Vivien cyanotype, a process that produces blue photographs with a white background. This resulted, for example, in atmospheric views of St Mark’s Square deserted except for a few waders and corners of ‘La Serenissima’ where it appeared that time had stood still.

Across the landing in the Willoughby Gallery, under the title ‘relative’, was an exhibition of paintings by mother and daughter, Irene and Kay Jones, which contrasted with, yet complemented, each other. Irene was displaying a series of paintings of a young woman reminiscent of 16th century portraits. Although these portraits were of the same face, that of her granddaughter, each was unique with different styles of headdress and attire and in the way it engaged the observer with different poses and above all in the captivating look in the eyes.

Her daughter, Jay, uses pen and ink to portray imagery from science fiction from her mid-20th century childhood and presented an apocryphal vision of a bleak future. Time travelling humans in space suits explored a hostile environment of black holes and black clouds of pollution threatened cities, yet the redeeming factors of a flowering plant, playing rabbits or gold leaf provided a prospect of something better.

‘Flight of Fancy’ is the title of an exhibition of raku ceramics by Angelique Medland in the ground floor exhibition room. Raku is a process where a piece is placed into sawdust to burn at just below 1,000°C, leaving the carbon from the fire and the oxides in the glaze to imprint into the clay body. On display were individually handcrafted birds such as geese, ducks, ravens, oyster-catchers and owls created by using this ancient process although for larger items she uses stoneware.

On Good Friday, March 30, and Easter Monday, April 2, Angelique will be providing a workshop at the Castle.

All three exhibitions will be on display between 10am and 4pm until Thursday, April 5. Admission is free.