Goddesses in Bloom: Charlie Russell X Alice Walton's Pop-Up Exhibition  

This November, Ramsgate will host Goddesses in Bloom, a vibrant and collaborative show by two local female artists, ceramicist Charlie Russell and painter Alice Walton. The pop-up Exhibition will take place in the studio-shop of renowned artist Margo In Margate, it will be a fusing of artistic disciplines.

Charlie is well known for her powerful and spiritual ceramic goddesses bringing her gold and colour saturated work together with Alice's abstract paintings inspired by lush tropical landscapes.

Both artists share a love for colour and the otherworldly nature of their pieces. Their work compliments through a shared energy—uplifting, positive, and immersive, celebrating the divine feminine and creative spirit.

By exhibiting together in Margo's studio, Alice and Charlie not only celebrate their own artistic expression but also embody the ethos of women supporting women in the creative industry. 

 

About Charlie Russell

       

Charlie Russell is a British ceramic artist living and working near Margate in Kent. Originally from the area, she returned in 2006 after completing her BA in Visual Communication (Illustration) at KIAD Maidstone. Initially, Charlie spent time creating jewellery and textile-based work before discovering her passion for ceramics in 2015 at Clayspace, a community interest ceramics studio in Margate.

In 2017, she began selling her work through the shop at Turner Contemporary in Margate, and she now creates from her home studio. Her earthenware sculptures are hand-built using simple, non-mechanical techniques. She employs handmade sprig molds, impressions from found objects, and hand-carved stamps. Her unique pieces are finished with gold and metal leaf, hand-painted designs and motifs inspired by nature, dreams, and symbolism.

Charlie has collaborated on projects with other artists and makers, including jewellery design with Reo Jewels of Margate and a series of ceramic works celebrating the lives of historical women with writer and broadcaster Gemma Cairney.

Drawing from a lifelong love of treasure hunting and her experiences working with house clearance companies, charity shops, boot fairs, markets, and antique dealers, Charlie creates work that examines the deep and often complex, emotional relationship we have with the material world and the ephemera of life. She is particularly interested in how objects become meaningful and powerful, exploring the spectrum of desire for objects—from sentimentality, remembrance, protection, and devotion to obsession and hoarding.

Her work draws inspiration from women's personal and collective histories and the objects central to stories of transformation. Charlie's ceramic art joyfully explores themes of colour, nature, divination, symbolism, astrology, the Divine Feminine, the Great Mother Goddess, concepts of energetic interconnection, psychology, quantum physics, collective consciousness, talismans, relics, amulets, and devotional ceremonial objects.

Charlie’s work will be available to buy during the exhibition & via her website from November 21st 2024 and in the shop/online store at Turner Contemporary from December 2024.

Please contact Charlie Russell for any questions or commission enquiries.

About Alice Walton

        

Alice is a British abstract painter, currently living and working in Margate, Kent.

After graduating with a degree in Textiles for Fashion from the University of Brighton in 2007, Alice began her career as a printed textile designer, creating digital patterns for both fashion and homeware markets. She has worked with esteemed studios and brands, including Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, DKNY, and BIBA. While living in New York and London, Alice established herself as a freelance designer, known for her skill of hands-on techniques like drawing, painting, and collage.

In 2019, Alice returned to her home town in Kent and began exploring different artistic disciplines, transitioning to painting on canvas. Her early paintings, often lush and tropical, were a vibrant expression of escapism during the restrictive time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since her first exhibition in 2020 at Oyster Bay House, Faversham, her work has evolved into a bold exploration of saturated colour and movement. Inspired by the natural world - particularly the landscapes of seas, sunsets, and foliage.

Alice’s work draws from her background in textiles, blending an intuitive sense of pattern and form with gestural, expressive strokes. Her artwork and pattern design often influence one another which is recognisable in composition and colour combination.

With three exhibitions to date, Alice has quickly gained recognition for her distinctive aesthetic and continues to develop her artistic practice, creating work that captures the energy of natural elements evoking a sense of joy and positivity.

Alice's original artworks will be available to buy during the pop up exhibition held at Margo in Margate's studio shop and when contacted directly through either her Alice Walton Paintings instagram page or by email.