3 Artists, One Place

Three artists reveal distinct responses to the land and sea of West Cornwall.

Three Artists, One Place brings together St Ives–based ceramicist Julie Harper and artists Hani Mroz and Shelley Thornton, celebrating how one landscape can inspire three distinct creative languages. Though their mediums differ, all three draw from the elemental character of West Cornwall — its shifting light, ancient landforms and deep sense of time. The exhibition highlights a shared connection to place while honouring each artist’s individual response.

Shelley Thornton
Shelley Thornton’s bold, colour‑led abstract paintings channel the emotional and sensory experience of St Ives. Her works capture moments where landscape, memory and feeling meet — the shimmer of water, the pull between urban rhythm and coastal stillness, the stories of daily life. Texture and symbolism surface within her colour blocks, creating layered compositions with immediacy and depth. Salvaged materials such as sand, salt and rust bring the environment directly into the work, turning each painting into a vivid record of place and time.

Julie Harper
Working from her St Ives studio, ceramicist Julie Harper translates the serenity of the Cornish coastline into delicate hand‑painted porcelain. Her bowls, vases, platters and framed porcelain paintings reflect her deep affection for the region she calls home. Porcelain’s fine, luminous quality allows her to capture the subtle tones and atmospheres of Cornwall’s shores. Her work offers a gentle portrait of coastal life, inviting viewers to pause and reconnect with the quiet poetry of the sea.

Hani Mroz
Living just outside St Ives, Hani Mroz is rooted in the wildness of West Penwith. Her paintings are shaped by the moors, coast paths and ancient landscapes she walks, where traces of past lives feel almost tangible. Winter — with its stark light and shifting weather — is her favourite season, and its mood often permeates her work. Using recycled materials such as cardboard and wood, she lets the rawness of these surfaces echo the rugged terrain she depicts. Working mainly in oils, she seeks to capture the mystery and emotional resonance of the land she knows intimately.