My studio
Gary Trevenen Small
Mixed medium artist
My name is Gary Trevenen Small, I was born in 1958 in Cornwall, a place that I continue to be passionate about. I left school at the age of sixteen and qualified as an apprentice fitter and turner in a local engineering factory that made mining equipment. From the age of eleven I played in a brass band. At 17 I played bass guitar in a post punk band called Zeitgeist and in 1979 at the age of nineteen I moved to London with the band to find success as a musician. We signed to several labels but it was not enough to make a living from so, I decided to go to culinary school to become a chef. I worked in several London schools, became
Head of a large transport kitchen and found it satisfied my passion for food and allowed me to hone my skills as a chef and develop my culinary art.
I returned to Cornwall in 1996 with my wife and two children and began working at Cornwall College where I achieved a Certificate in Education and taught basic culinary and life skills to people with additional needs.
At the age of 60, I decided to explore and fulfil my creativity in a different direction. I began a part time BA in Creative Art at Cornwall College. I loved experimenting with different mediums and felt myself particularly drawn to ceramics. I graduated in 2022 with a First Class Honours and have since built up my own studio, kiln room and small workshop space at home.
This year, I was honoured to be given the chance to go back to Cornwall College as ‘Artist in Residence’ for two terms, to develop my work and also be of some support to the undergraduates still studying.
My work has been influenced by the skills I have learned throughout my life along with my Romani and Cornish cultures.
My passion is working within ceramics particularly using the raku method of glazing and firing.
Raku is an ancient Japanese tradition of firing ceramics. A rustic if somewhat precarious technique using all of nature’s elements, earth, air, fire, and water.
The work is fired to a high temperature of approximately 1000 degrees Celsius in a gas fired kiln. It is then removed whilst still red hot and plunged into sawdust. The pieces catch fire and the carbon from the smoke infiltrates the cracks in the glaze. The pieces are then left to cool and then scrubbed clean with water. The result is a finish that is both unpredictable and beautiful.
I also like to explore ways of creating art that uses a mix of metal, wood, enamel, and ceramics and incorporate them into sculptures where I feel they sit together harmoniously.
With two very strong cultures in my DNA I have a plethora of inspiring ideas to work with, both full of tradition, history, identity, and a diaspora narrative. Through my work I like to offer an alternative perspective of these cultures, one that is far removed from and challenges the romantic views of Poldark, the holiday destination and living the outdoor Gypsy life in a horse drawn van.
the owrek collective
After graduating from my degree, a group of us decided to form a collective. I researched the Cornish language and found the word ‘OWREK’ which means golden. We are a group of diverse artists, including ceramicists, painters and photographers and our aim is to support future graduates by inviting them to join the group and exhibit with us.
Please find some of my work for sale in my Etsy shop ‘KreftByghanArt’.