Suzanne Stuart Davies

Suzanne Stuart Davies is a painter whose practice is rooted in close observation of landscape and environment. Drawing inspiration from year-round walks, her work often begins with moments that linger—whether the relationship between a building and its surroundings or encounters with wildlife. These impressions become starting points for paintings that explore place, memory, and atmosphere.

Working primarily in oils, Davies embraces a slow, considered process. Layers of colour and texture are built up and reworked using brushes and knives, with forms simplified and refined over time. This approach results in paintings that balance structure with sensitivity, often featuring birds and coastal or upland landscapes as recurring motifs.

She studied at Liverpool College of Art and later gained a degree in Philosophy and History of Art from the Open University. Earlier in her career, she worked as a librarian and researcher for the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England), an experience that deepened her understanding of habitats and ways of seeing the natural world.

A full-time artist since 1995, Davies has exhibited widely across the UK and Ireland. Her work is held in private collections in the UK, Europe, and the USA, and she has regularly participated in Dumfries & Galloway’s Spring Fling, as well as being associated with Axis since 2006.

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Annette Vernon

Annette Vernon is a glass artist whose practice explores the material qualities and transformative processes of kiln-formed glass. Following a distinguished career in the civil service—where she rose to Director and CIO level and was awarded a CBE for Services to Justice—she developed her artistic practice with a particular focus on glass.
Originally trained in stained glass, Vernon has worked across a wide range of techniques, from cold working to hot processes. Much of her work has centred on “warm glass,” including fusing, slumping and kiln-casting, where heat is used to shape and transform the material. Her approach is driven by the inherent properties of glass—its transparency, depth, reflection and fluidity—embracing both its strength and fragility.
Her Fossil series captures natural forms such as fish and plant life, which are pressed and burned into the glass during firing, leaving detailed impressions suspended within the material. These works reflect an ongoing interest in texture, preservation, and the dialogue between organic forms and man-made process. Each piece is unique, shaped as much by the behaviour of the glass as by the artist’s intent.

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Jack Doherty

Born in County Derry, Jack Doherty trained in ceramics at the Ulster College of Art and Design. He went on to work at the Kilkenny Design Workshops before establishing his first studio in County Armagh.

An internationally renowned maker, Doherty has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. Alongside his studio practice, he has played a significant role in the ceramics community, serving as Chair of the Craft Potters Association, as well as a founder and current Chair of Ceramic Art London. He was also the first Lead Potter and Creative Director at the Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall, from 2008 to 2013.

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