New art and sculpture gallery opens in Teddington
A new art and sculpture gallery has opened on Waldegrave Road, where the old antiques shop used to be.
The Beach is owned by Teddington-born Mark Vellacott, who attended Teddington School and has up until recently resided all over Australia.
The gallery presents art from a variety of local artists, including Vellacott's late mother, Avril Vellacott who's originally from North Devon, Mark Owen from Station Road, and Teddington's Carmella.
Speaking about why he named the gallery The Beach, Vellacott told Teddington Nub that he is a lot of connections to beaches with his mum being from North Devon where there are "lots of beautiful beaches" and having brought up his five children in Australia he was always visiting various beaches there.
He said: "Beaches are also places for enjoyment and I want people to enjoy themselves when they come to the gallery, so that's why I called it The Beach."
The gallery consists of the front gallery room, which is today ready for a private viewing 'Christmas @ The Beach' which will be running from 6.30pm tonight, 20 November.
Currently the front room's walls are showcasing art from various local and non-local artists, including Sophie Coe, Mark Owen and Carmella.
There's also sculptures from his late mother, who lived on Elmfield Road, and Alex Lidagovsky.
At the back of the gallery is another gallery room with various artworks, including work by Mary Hayward Smith.
In this room, there is also a coffee machine, which Vellacott is using to make "excellent" 'La Marzocco' produced espesso and milk coffees to visitors of the exhibitions, which he sells for £2.50.
There's also Vellacott's studio, where he works on his own work and keeps his sculpture of Francis Waldegrave, who Waldegrave Road is named after.
Outside, is Vellacott's terracotta garden, which holds a range of sculptures by himself and his mother, including a sculpture of him as a schoolboy, placed in the centre of the garden.
"Of course I had to be in the centre," he joked.
Vellacott plans to build a studio in the garden next year and has just received planning permission to extend the back of the building into a bigger gallery studio.
Speaking about why he moved back to Teddington from Australia, Vellacott said: "There's a lot of art here, better than there is over there, and we have a lot of excellent artists too. It's great."
Vellacott learnt how to sculpt from his late mother and his grandfather was an excellent painter so art runs through his veins.
Vellacott will also be hosting a book launch next Wednesday, 27 November at 6.30pm in light of his friend and local author Sarah Chalice's new self-help book Who Cares.
Who Cares is about Chalice's journey caring for her husband who lived with a brain tumour for 13 years before sadly passing away.
Vellacott is excited to host this book launch as he cared for his father who died from cancer and then a close friend of his who died of breast cancer shortly after.
"I have strong connections with carers," he said.
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