HEERA ALAYA

Emma Clegg and Howard Clegg founded The Stratford Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon [Warwickshire county, UK, the birthplace of English poet and playwright William Shakespeare], subsequently relocating to the chestnut tree-lined and limestone buildings dotted Cotswolds village of Broadway, [Worcestershire, UK]. The Stratford Gallery is home to an International community of established and emerging painters, sculptors and ceramists. In addition to its permanent art collections, The Stratford Gallery curates contemporary Japanese ceramics and stages exhibitions.

I was recollecting my experience at your gallery (after my previous visit), and I want to compliment you on your calming presence, which elevates your aesthetically curated space.

Oh, it’s a pleasure. When people come in, we want them to relax and take their time. We never do a hard sell. Nothing is worse than going to a gallery and being on somebody’s shoulder because you want to have that time to consider whether a piece of art is right for you. You also want to be able to speak in private to the person you are with without having somebody interject their opinions. 

Oh, absolutely. 

Sometimes, you might not purchase immediately, but when the feeling lingers, you will likely return at the right time.

Right. We have people coming back months and sometimes years after seeing a piece, and although it might not be available, there might be something else by the same artist that is right for them. Sometimes, people cannot buy artwork during their visit, but in years to come, they will have a bonus or inheritance money, or their circumstances may change. And they come back, add it to their collection, and take it to their home, which is lovely.

So you came to Broadway [Worcestershire, UK] for a weekend, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yeah. We were living in London, and I was working on a corporate art collection. Howard [Emma’s husband] worked in IT [information technology] software. We came up to Broadway for a weekend with friends, and I ended up chatting with the owners of the cottage we were staying in: “Oh, I want to sell it.” And I said, “My goodness, we want to leave London; how much are you going to sell it for?” He [the cottage owner] told me and we bought it lock, stock, and barrel—duvets, glasses, cutlery, sofa, and the whole lot.

[Laughter]

You decided on the spot!!

Yes. Yes. Then and there. When Howard and I met (30 years back), we got engaged quickly and married quickly. We are impulsive people. So, yeah, we moved up here [Broadway] very quickly without overthinking it. 

And then, after about 15 years, Howard was still working in London—it wasn’t the plan, but the way things rolled out—it is where his job had to be. Howard was commuting from here [Broadway] down to the city [London] most days and was exhausted. And then Howard got cancer.

And having an art gallery—I have worked in art my whole life—was always what we used to call “the second bottle of wine conversation.” You know you are out for dinner, get a second bottle of wine, saying, “We should do it, can we do it.” And wake up in the cold light of day the next day, and you are absolutely not [going to do it] because you are walking away from two salaries, which is such a leap of faith. 

When Howard had cancer and was given the all-clear, we asked: “If not now, when? So let’s do it.” Howard walked away from his job; I walked away from mine, and we set up a small, lovely space in Stratford-upon-Avon [Warwickshire county, United Kingdom, three hours drive from central London] just next to the theatre. 

All went well, but then, in 2020, the theatre shut down during the pandemic, and that was our whole base of customers—the theatregoers, the international theatregoers for the RSC [Royal Shakespeare Company]. We thought the theatres may never reopen, and we didn’t know what would happen. 

When the theatre closed in 2020, we knew we needed to leave Stratford. We didn’t know what would happen, so we relocated to Broadway. We didn’t know what we’d do next, what the plan was—big art fares, just a showroom, or whether we would have another retail space. So we handed in our notice in Stratford and saw this place [the gallery in Broadway].

What were the obstacles, if any, in setting up your gallery during the pandemic?

[Laughs] Having no income! You have a tremendous amount of self-doubt: “What are we doing? We must be crazy!” But then you take the risk because you believe in it and love the artists you represent and their work. It is much more than a job—it is about doing, I hope, something important. And I hope we are enabling the artist to continue working. Every cent counts for an artist; every piece that is bought enables them to work another month, another two months. It is a real passion.

Howard and I have to believe in the work a thousand percent. I couldn’t sell something I disliked; it would be written all over my face, and that would come across as a gallerist. There are two types of gallery owners: dealers, who could be selling anything, and gallerists, who are much more empathetic and care more about the work.

How do you curate your gallery?

I am in charge of all the curation, and Howard looks after the Japanese side of things (he speaks Japanese and is the one who goes to Japan and liaises with the artist). My father had pottery factories in Stoke, Cornwall, and Yorkshire, where my initial interest in pottery came from. That’s how we [Emma and Howard] fell into studio ceramics—because of this genuine interest in clay.

Our collections are eclectic—a mix of style, subject, genre, and scale. We have outstanding, well-made work from artists who work hard and treat it as a job. These artists are in it for life—they have been working for themselves for decades. It’s challenging for artists who are genuinely committed to their work.

The gallery’s wall colour blends into the background, making each piece the main character. What paint have you used?

You have to choose a colour that blends with the materials of the nature of the building, the exposed timbers, and the exposed stone. The predominant colour is Mouse Back, from Farrow and Ball (they use all-natural pigments); it changes throughout the year and seasons.

I love the amalgamation of elements—music, smell, colours, furniture, collections and the building itself. Tell me more about the ambience at your gallery.

We have always collected calm, natural art with no artificial pigment or mechanical process. We like work that has soul and lovely energy and is very calming, work that slows you down when you look at it. And we hope the work we have here reflects that energy. The colours of the wall affect the natural pigments of the wall and the material we use for furnishing. 

[Emma introduces her collections] This exhibition is called Sweetness of Spring by Anna King, an artist who has immersed herself in her immediate landscape and environment. King doesn’t have to travel very far; she is not prettifying her landscape—just capturing Scottish Borders, and it’s very much where man-made meets mother nature. You have the sheepfold and fence posts; they aren’t straightened—they are all as you find them as you drive through the landscape or walk through the landscape. 

Then we have Helen Ballardie, and they are all of her garden in France. Ballardie is led by what she sees. It is a gently tended space; it is wonderful. So if a tree falls, she [Ballardie] leaves it—it’s looked after but not manicured. It is abundant and lush, and she manages to capture it.

We have Martin and Dowling [Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling], who have been carving out for about 40 years. They [Martin and Downing] have worked at the Philadelphia Museum and the Boston Museum of Fine Art in Cambridge. Again, Martin and Dowling’s work is very, very, very slowly made. The husband-and-wife team works in tandem and is very gentle. No machinery is involved; they are all handmade with Victorian carving tools. It is meditative.

Then we have Su Kirk, who weaves willow (based in Pittigraft). Su’s work is very calm; no machinery is involved. She grows the willow herself in her field next to her studio, soaking it in a stream, and yes, it is ecologically sound. It is as much about biodiversity as it is about the weaving process.

Mitch Pilkington’s timeless sculptures have my heart. Can you tell me about her work?

Mitch has been making pots since her early 20s, but she always did it quietly as a sideline to being a full-time mom. When her children reached their mid-teens, Mitch started creating more and more full-time, and her career took off quickly. The Craft Council selected her for their house program. Mitch has been working, perfecting, and honing her skills for 20 or so years before she put it out there, and she is doing exceptionally well. Her pieces are elegant and well-made. Mitch recently completed her master’s of art; she is being shown at Collette and Somerset House. We love her work, and Mitch is a pleasure to deal with. We took her to the show at Saatchi [London].

How did you arrive at the concept of housing specific pieces that emit serene energy?

It [the concept] is not something that is particularly a conscious choice. It is work that we are drawn to. We have worked with Anna King and Martin and Dowling for eight years; we love working with them, their work, and their energy. We have personally collected Helen’s work for years and have lived with it at home for a long time. This is the first time Helen has shown with us, and we are enjoying talking about her work and having it here (which has been received very well). And Su Kirk, again, this is the first time we have worked with her, and it has also been an absolute pleasure to work with her.

You mention working with artists you admire. Can artists looking for representation approach you with their work?

We get approached all the time. However, most of the time, artists haven’t looked at our website or what we do. And to artists: If you are going to approach galleries, ensure you have a proper look and see if you will be a fit. And never send a message on Instagram. When you are going to contact a gallery, do it properly; do it by email. Find out the names of the owners. Put together a proper CV [curriculum vitae] and portfolio, mentioning where you have exhibited before. It is important. It is not just a quick “Hey, I would like to show you” message on Instagram because that is not how it works.”

We put our heart and soul into this place and provide a professional service and space for the artist. The artist who delivers work to us has laboured over the pieces and is investing a lot to ensure they are good enough to go out into the world. Nothing is slap-dash about it.

What is the collaborative process between artist and gallerist—do you guide or critique them? 

Some artists ask for guidance, but we want them to be free, for their creations to come from here [signals to the heart]; we want it to be heartfelt. We want artists to be excited about a body of work and not to feel like technicians. Artists have to grow; they can’t keep turning out things that will sell because they will never create exciting work from that.

Your gallery houses different artists, multimedia, and sculptures. Do you try to maintain a certain ratio?

No. With artists, we always take our time because life happens. And sometimes they say, “The new collection is not working. I am not happy with it. I don’t feel like it is my best. I don’t want to release it.” So we say, “Just take your time. When it’s ready, it’s ready. Let me know when you are happy with it. We will take it.”

That’s what’s great about this space—it’s so big. We can continue introducing small collections when the artist is happy with them. So, there is never really a controlled proportion or a planned proportion. As work comes in, we put it out. But sometimes, the ground floor is just Japanese ceramics. About two or three times a year, we have just Japanese exhibitions.

Do you have a significant collector base for Japanese ceramics?

Yeah, we have an excellent international collector base. We have people from New York, LA [Los Angeles], and all around the world who say, “Oh, my God, I didn’t expect to find this here.” We have world-class names, many of whom are only shown in Japan, so people are surprised. And we have a lot of collectors who are based around the world. We send a lot back to Japan (we have a lot of customers in Japan); they know the pieces we get here are good. The Japanese artists will be showing again and will send us the best of their work. Last year, we had a Yoca Muta [contemporary ceramic artist ], which sold out in 13 minutes.

13 minutes! Did I hear that right?

Yeah. About 45 pieces sold out in 13 minutes.

Were you expecting a swift sale?

We knew it was going to be busy. We had been having calls from around the world for several weeks asking, “Can I see this piece? Can I reserve a piece? Can I pay more than the asking price for a piece?” And we have to say, “No [decline], because we have excellent customers who never ask for that privilege. So, it has to be absolutely fair across the board. We know the output is slow because her [Yoca Muta ] work is detailed. So, the demands across the world are phenomenal. We knew it would be quick, but the sales were literally…we have the fastest payment system in the world (on the website), and it couldn’t cope. There were two or three multiple purchases in less than a second. Yes, it was incredible.

Those evenings, we sit. Howard is on his desktop upstairs at home, and I am here [in the gallery] just watching it. I am ready to jump in if there is a problem. It is stressful. We open online the night before and then open the gallery in person the next day, on a Saturday.

Do you close the gallery to get orders packed and shipped?

Usually, we set up the entire exhibition before the online show starts, but it is closed to the public until then. Then, we have a private viewing for our mailing list on a Saturday between 2 pm and 5 pm. Quite often, the Japanese artists will come over; we fly them over, and it is lovely to meet them and for people who have bought their pieces to be able to meet the artists.

What a lovely collaboration!

Yeah, it is really nourishing.

The one-on-one interaction between the artist and the client must be gratifying.

We have a lovely Japanese customer (the most affable lady in the world) who will often come to the openings. She will do translations because Howard will be busy talking to the customers and dealing with sales. So, she [the Japanese client] will chat with the artist and the customer and act as a translator. The artist can tell the customer what he likes about the particular piece they bought, what happened in the kiln and perhaps how the oxides have combined, what happened in the firing, or how he made it. So it’s a nourishing customer experience, and it’s lovely.

Can you share your experience of working with Japanese culture?

They [the Japanese] are such honourable and diligent people. They are also really, really lovely to deal with. When the Japanese say they will do something, they will do it. The Japanese are sincere, which is fantastic.

Many artists have started selling directly (rather than through gallery representation) by creating their online presence.  What is your take on this scenario? And is online presence necessary for your artists?

Social media is a blessing and a curse in mixed quantities. The whole Instagram thing is sad, but I understand that it can be a solitary existence for an artist in a studio and by releasing their work on Instagram, they can get sales.

But you are also looking at a two-inch screen, which doesn’t give the viewer an idea of the energy, time, and care the artist has put into it. The person using Instagram is sitting there with their sandwich and scrolling. And nothing will ever replace seeing, let’s say, a piece of ceramic in person.

So, whilst Instagram enables more views and increases your profile, it devalues the work.

We use Instagram—everybody has to use Instagram these days—but when people come in and see the exhibition, they say, “Oh, my goodness, I had no idea it [artwork] was this beautiful.” Or, “The pieces are this big or this small.”

I felt the same way when I saw Su Kirk’s baskets. Her work is exquisite, and I wondered how she made them.

Emma, what takes up most of your time as a gallerist?

Being a gallerist is a diverse job. You have to be a photographer and a broadcaster, and your IT [information technology] skills must be okay. You must also be a bookkeeper, a curator, a cleaner, plan the space and deal with the public. Every day is interesting.

Times have changed so much. I spend time preparing for digital retail—photographing and cataloguing work, getting it into the inventory and website, and sending it to the mailing list, art consultants, and interior designers.

It is very different when you are self-employed—you work eight days a week, don’t have any time off, and don’t switch off, do you? But we are not just doing it for ourselves, but for the artists as well. And you take so much pride in what you do—how you present, deliver, and sell. So it is all very meaningful and very important.

Do you get to close shop? And what is your idea of luxury?

We haven’t closed for years. We were closed for two weeks when we did the two London art fares, but that was not a holiday; it was hard work. We had an assistant, but she left and went travelling. We may close for a week this year and leave with our two daughters.

Quite often on Sundays, we [Emma and Howard] go down [to London] to see our daughters, have a nice lunch, have a good chat, and catch up; that’s our favourite thing to do. We also enjoy visiting other museums and galleries and seeing what they have on show.

Does passion lead you?

Yeah, absolutely.

And it makes all the difference?

It does. You are okay with being here [at the gallery] until 8 o’clock at night, you don’t mind having to do the occasional Sunday, and you don’t mind being exhausted because you know it is really important to you to work to that standard. 

We recently did three art fares in the last 12 months—the art fair at the Saatchi Gallery [London] just off King’s Road, and we won the best stand award. It was amazing! For the first time in February, we did the Collect Art fare, a three-day fare, for which we took our Japanese ceramics. We did very well. Straight off the back, the day after, we did the Affordable Art fair in Battersea and won Best Stand.

So when you are working in the background and working so hard, and somebody realises what is happening here and suddenly people start to recognise it, it is fabulous.

Learn more about Emma Clegg and The Stratford Gallery.