We are very pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, the Zimmer Stewart Gallery has been shortlisted for the Observer Business Awards in the "Innovation" category.

The credit crunch in 2009 presented many issues for businesses generally and we were no exception. With the prospect of falling sales, fewer customers and less footfall we decided to tackle the problem had on and innovate.

This involved adding a new product range to our mix: original artist prints. These were shown for the first time in an extended Summer Exhibition.

The results exceeded all our expectations, we attracted both new customers and existing ones returned - sales were up year on year.

The innovation worked so well that we have now established a second website where clients can browse and buy artist prints safely and securely. We hope that this will broaden our reach even further.

View the new website ZS Editions - click here

We have just received several new wood fired bottle and vase forms from Nick Rees.

Nick Rees started making pots in 1972, and in 1976 joined John Leach at Mulchelney where is still working today making the John Leach tableware.

In his own right Nick Rees is a fellow of the Craft Potters Association and a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. He is known for his traditional bottle forms, which are then altered by cutting the sides, gouging grooves or applying slip decoration. 

We are pleased to say that he is one of the studio potters whose work we stock at all times. So even if they are not on display when you next come to the gallery, do ask to see one or two of these great pots.

The Zimmer Stewart Gallery is very pleased to be exhibiting at the 25th London Original Print Fair, friom 29 April to 3 May 2010 at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Picadilly, W1.

The fair has a reputation for attracting dealers in modern british prints as well as showing the best of new contemporary artist prints. This year will be the largest ever with over 60 exhibitors from the US, Europe and Japan.

Director Helen Rosslyn comments: “Many more people now realise that prints provide a great opportunity to buy an original work by an artist for a relatively affordable price. I love the fact that the Fair has been described as ‘the most enjoyable event in the art market calendar’ – and am already looking forward to a very enjoyable 25th anniversary Fair”.

We will be showing the ZS Editions portfolio of new contemporary editions, contact us for more information.

See below a hand painted animation by Betsy Dadd: Oil Paint on glass. Music Video for song "Table" written by Rachael Dadd.

We will be showing this and other animations alongside her paintings and monoprints in our March exhibition with work by Max Wade.

2009 was a good year in many ways for the Zimmer Stewart Gallery. Despite feeling the full effects of the credit crisis we were able to keep our heads above water through adapting to the financial crisis: We showed some exciting new work by existing artists and also introduced a few new ones.

Highlights for us included the “Iceland” series of paintings by Barbara Macfarlane. This show was well received both critically and in terms of sales. The paintings demonstrated Barbara Macfarlane’s skill in working from the landscape to create the emotional as well as visual impact of a place.

During the Summer we ‘celebrated’ painters who are also
printmakers. We showed work by established artists such as the Chapman Brothers, Paula Rego and Patrick Caulfield alongside work by our gallery artists: Nick Bodimeade, Gary Goodman and Richard Walker.

We hope to build on the interest generated for original artist prints, and to this end have set up a  website to sell editions on-line: This is called ZS Editions (www.zseditions.co.uk).

During the Festival in 2009 we welcomed the return of Anthony Frost’s vibrant abstract expressionist paintings. The new body of work was very different to the work we showed in 2007 and it was great to be able to show the evolution in his work over the two year period.

Richard Phethean’s ceramics with altered forms and stencil slip decoration were shown to great acclaim in October, we hope to see more of his work in 2010.

On the subject of ceramics we must also mention Chris Keenan whose fine Limoges porcelain vessels were introduced in the Summer, his work now joins that of Karen Bunting, John Leach and Lilia Umana Clarke as being part of our permanent stock. So you will always be able to find some of their work here.

Finally, in November we showed sculpture by Andrea Schulewitz with Sussex landscape paintings by Piers Ottey. Andrea’s new sculptures were more figurative than the conceptual pieces we have seen in the past, but retaining the same level of intellectual and thought provoking content.

As we slowly emerge from the recession during the next twelve months, we hope that you will will enjoy the exhibitions we have planned for 2010.