Les Charrieres, Introduction by Chris Clifford Ba (Hons) MA- Gallery Director

 

Les Charrieres is the name of the property  that the artist Nicholas Romeril has lived  and worked in for many years. It is where  his beautiful studio is located and where he  raised his two sons, the twins William and  Danny Romeril both of whom have gone  on to follow in their father’s footsteps by  developing their own creative pursuits in  painting, sculpture and 3D design.  

To many Jersey residents the name ‘Les  Charrieres’ is recognised as that given to  several prominent 18th century Jersey farm  houses built to last in local granite. There  are numerous translations from French  into English which suggest its meaning is  a pathway, old cart track or lane and within  the local context this often refers to the  cattle tracks made by the world famous  Jersey cows as they were driven from the  fields to the farm for milking.  

Of course being on a pathway is also about  taking a journey. Sometimes we follow  in other people’s footsteps but artists in  particular often forge their own paths  to discover things about the world and  themselves that they could only imagine  when they set out.  

In this magnificent exhibition three  generations of artists, all from the same  family, come together to tell the story of their  individual pathways to creative success and  their shared love of artistic expression handed  down from one generation to the next.  

Each, in their own way, comes at it from  a completely unique perspective and the  end results are not just visually diverse but  aesthetically arresting. When you start  to dig a little deeper into the ideas and  motivations behind the works you then begin  to understand how each artist has found it  essential to forge their own creative pathway  in order to distinguish themselves.  

If Christmas is about one thing then surely it’s  about the importance of family so I hope you  will join us in celebrating the diverse talents of  three generations of artists who have all found  their pathways in life to be ones that are firmly  rooted in creativity.