Mel Mars

Mel, a member of the RBSA, began making glass thirty years ago, having previously worked as a ceramicist. He has held exhibitions around this country at prestigious venues such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and has also taken has work as far afield as Lithuania, Hungary and the USA.

He describes his work: “I was seduced by the immediacy of the material, and particularly the way light interacts on and through glass. Three dimensional work provides a web of interconnecting surfaces, inside and outside, on which to apply colour. These surfaces are treated in much the same way as a painter applies paint to canvas. My colour is not surface decoration but forms a structural part of the finished work.”

Find out more at www.rbsa.org.uk

Ben Drummond

Ben Drummond’s musical life revolves around the Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham as a whole. The talented singer/songwriter and multiinstrumentalist is a regular at Jools Holland’s Jam House in St Paul’s Square where he hosts the monthly acoustic sessions that offers local musicians a chance to make their name.

Ben has played live, and recorded with, a wide range of artists, including Adam Zindani (The Stereophonics), Carina Round and Cantaloop. His music is a mixture of Flamenco, Nu Soul and Folk. He wows the crowds with his dextrous guitar style and mesmerising vocals as he builds his reputation as a leading player in the acoustic revival in Birmingham.

Find out more and hear Ben’s music at www.myspace.com/drummondmusic

Melissa Mailer-Yatesr

RBSA member Melissa Mailer-Yates cites a fascination with beauty as the primary motivation behind her painting. She adds, however, that the traditional aspect of her work has to be substantiated by a strong application of modern freedom & techniques. She applies this philosophy to a wide range of styles, including portraits, florals, equestrian, abstract and nudes. Melissa has many pieces in St Paul’s Gallery.

Melissa is a prolific artist with work in collections around the world. She has undertaken commissions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II among many other distinguished individuals, and she has become well-known for her celebrity portraits.
An articulate and thoughtful speaker, Melissa is also in great demand for lectures and for her written words.

Find our more at www.stpaulsgallery.com

Aktar Islam

Lasan, an Indian restaurant next door to St Paul’s Place, has steadily gathered an outstanding reputation for the innovative quality of its food and its superb service since its inception in 2002. Head chef, Aktar Islam, has been instrumental in its success and has a string of high-profile awards to prove it. Inclusion in the Michelin Guide is further proof of its quality.

Aktar develops exciting, innovative recipes ranging from gorgeous and intricate creations to rich-tasting, healthy meals. His real passion for food is reflected in the authentic Indian cuisine and his commitment is shown by regular visits to India to find new regional dishes to stimulate the imagination and the taste buds. Aktar is regularly invited to judge a prestigious South Asian Chef Competition and is to be found rubbing shoulders with celebrity chefs at the BBC Good Food Shows, Food & Drink Expo, Taste Festivals, Grand Design LIVE and many others.

Find out more - and book a table - at www.lasangroup.com/restaurant

Peter Walker

Peter’s work is regularly shown in St Paul’s Gallery, which is next to St Paul’s Place, and he is also an elected member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He is one of this country’s finest up-and-coming
young sculptors, whose work has been described as absorbing and powerful. Remarkably, Peter is also an accomplished draughtsman, producing work in pen and ink; oil and refined line work in pencil and charcoal. He is also a published poet and had a career in music.

Peter has created a number of magnificent public sculptures. He works primarily in bronze, and almost exclusively from the figure. He says, “The figure is a starting point from which one can manipulate forms and perspectives that we have experienced from childhood. Sculpture is by its very nature an intense personal testimony. Powerful emotive qualities are translated into form.”

Find our more at www.rbsa.org.uk and www.stpaulsgallery.com

Deepti Kumar

“The collection is, in essence, a contemporary interpretation of an ancient art” is how Deepti describes her work. Deepti’s work sees her uniting her background as a western jeweller trained in England with being an artist born and raised in India. She says:

“I enjoy juxtaposing traditional Indian patterns with contemporary western design aesthetics. Playing with the symmetry and detail that is characteristic of Indian craft, I combine it with the simplicity and functionality of western contemporary design. My inspiration is the city of Bhuj in India where I participated in an earthquake rehabilitation programme in 2001. The shattered pietra dura facades of royal palaces with their broken floral patterns, the torn multi-hued finery of local women and the scarred yet endless landscape, gradually revealed a sense of vulnerability, a beauty that once existed in all its perfection. It is this vulnerability that I have tried to portray through my jewellery. Hence, the main influences in my work have been remnants of pottery and fragments of textiles seen at museums.”

See Deepti’s work in the Craft Gallery at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery in St Paul’s Square. www.rbsa.org.uk

 

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