Recognition for Ruth Mae

Most Arran people are familiar with the beautiful work of Ruth Mae, who shares a studio with furniture designer and builder, David Samuels, at Southbank Studio, East Bennan. Ruth produces exquisite turned bowls, some of them robust and others astonishingly delicate. Using holly wood for its dense, fine grain, she creates small bowls that are as fine as porcelain. Many of us also love her lively wire sculptures of horses – but it is her mastery of turning that has won her a place in a prestigious London show.

Ruth has been invited to contribute work to an exhibition at the Fleming Collection in Mayfair, known to cognoscenti as ‘The home of Scottish art in London.’ Under the title of ‘Made in Scotland’, the exhibition features work from more than thirty makers based in Scotland and includes jewellery, tapestry, engravings, glass and silver. Ruth is the only maker working in wood in the exhibition and she has been told that her work is attracting a lot of attention and some sales. She was delighted to see that the poster advertising the exhibition features some of her work.
In addition, Ruth has been invited to be one of six exhibitors from Scotland in an exhibition that is part of the North Yorkshire Open Studios programme this month. The show is to be titled ‘From the Edge – Crafts from Rural Scotland’ and will take place in Thirsk.

See here for more about the Made in Scotland Show in London.

Here on Arran, Southbank Studio will be part of the Arran Open Studio Event in August, when visitors and residents can enjoy meeting artists in their working environment. See www.arranopenstudios.co.uk