Summer Sculpture Exhibition 2017
In the summer of 2017, we worked with local artists to develop a sculpture trail - take a look at the pieces which were displayed.
The Sculptures
1. The Presence of Christ by Henry Gray
Portland Stone
Henry trained as a stonemason and works as a stone carver, taking commissions for inscriptions, relief carvings and sculptures. He also runs stone carving courses at his studio near Salisbury. This carving was created for the 400th anniversary of the English translation of the Bible in 1611 and is illustrated in bright colours as was fashionable at the time.
2. Boundary by Anthony Rogers
Oak
After training and working as an archaeologist for several years, Anthony undertook art studies in Bath. He is based in Frome and works predominantly with wood. He has produced many large scale sculptures for exhibitions and public art projects. He also takes smaller garden-size commissions, including carving trees in situ. The oak for his carvings in this trail came from Longleat.
3. Rustic Stem Ginger by Chris Kampf
Rusted steel with oil finish
After taking a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, Chris designed jewellery for many years. He changed to making garden sculptures in 2011 and has been making striking steel structures based on natural forms ever since. His simple interpretation of leaves and buds in steel stand out well against a garden backdrop, on a lawn or with plants growing around them.
4. Joseph of Arimathea by Harry Brockway
Portland Stone
Harry studied sculpture at Kingston School of Art and the Royal Academy, London. He trained as a stone mason at Weymouth College and worked at Wells Cathedral. He also practises as a wood engraver and has illustrated many books. This sculpture was inspired by the abbey’s legendary connection with St Joseph of Arimathea.
5. Purity by Ian Marlow
Steel, Stainless steel with powder-coated colour
Ian works mainly in stainless steel and glass to create delicate but larger than life sculptures based on natural forms. He creates different effects and colours with added texture and powder coating. He aims to reflect the balance of nature in the shapes, forms and lines of leaves, flowers and seedheads. His figural work is strong and dramatic, but there is a delicacy in the flowing lines.
6. Open Form & Flanged Neck Vase by Christine-Ann Richards
Ceramic
The gardens of China and Japan have been an ongoing inspiration for the large pots and water features Christine-Ann makes, mainly to commission. She works with three different coloured clays and enjoys the gritty composition of the clay used in these pieces. She coil builds her large pots - only the flanged neck of the vase was wheel-thrown.
7. Wild Cotswold Road by Iain Cotton
Bath Stone and earth pigments
Iain studied sculpture at Bath Academy of Art. He is interested in roads, paths, journeys and human marks in the landscape. His sculptures often reflect a poetic journey, as in the case of this work based on a winding Gloucestershire road. He is interested in the connection made through the act of carving between the body and the landscape in its most elemental form.
8. Grass Plumes by Chris Kampf
Rusted steel with oil finish
After taking a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, Chris designed jewellery for many years. He changed to making garden sculptures in 2011 and has been making striking steel structures based on natural forms ever since. His simple interpretation of leaves and buds in steel stand out well against a garden backdrop, on a lawn or with plants growing around them.
9. Arthur's Eye by Mike Grevatte
Carved and painted oak
Mike has been working as a sculptor for over 40 years, having trained in Leicester and Oxford. He has produced many public commissions in stone and bronze, besides work for houses and gardens. His wood carvings are often abstracted from simple natural forms, carved and painted in vibrant colours. He likes to work in local wood, such as oak and willow.
10. The Last Tree by Kate Rattray
Ceramic and glass
Kate makes bold and dynamic glass and ceramic mosaics, ranging from small pieces of jewellery to large sculptures. Her work is narrative, as well as decorative, and often inspired by nature, myth, legends and folk tales. She made this sculpture seat in response to ‘ash dieback’, a disease which is killing off our ash trees in the UK as well as abroad.
11. Frond by Anthony Rogers
Oak
After training and working as an archaeologist for several years, Anthony undertook art studies in Bath. He is based in Frome and works predominantly with wood. He has produced many large scale sculptures for exhibitions and public art projects. He also takes smaller garden-size commissions, including carving trees in situ. The oak for his carvings in this trail came from Longleat.
12. Stag by George Hider
Recycled raw steel with lanolin
When working in an engineering environment, George discovered his ability to create sculptures from discarded scrap metal. He loves to capture the character of the animals which unwittingly model for him and every piece of metal is carefully formed and welded into place. His large sculptures are protected with lanolin from sheep’s wool, which allows them to weather naturally.
13. Awakening by Mike Grevatte
Willow stump carved and painted
Mike has been working as a sculptor for over 40 years, having trained in Leicester and Oxford. He has produced many public commissions in stone and bronze, besides work for houses and gardens. His wood carvings are often abstracted from simple natural forms, carved and painted in vibrant colours. He likes to work in local wood, such as oak and willow.
14. Cirri by Fiona Campbell
Locally found and recycled materials
Fiona studied Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London. Her mixed media sculptures illustrate her interest in the natural world. These sculptures reflect the time when the sea covered the Somerset Levels. They are based on crinoids (sea lilies) whose long spiny stems cling to the seabed and whose fossilised remains are found in carboniferous limestone.
15. Vallis by Anthony Rogers
Oak
After training and working as an archaeologist for several years, Anthony undertook art studies in Bath. He is based in Frome and works predominantly with wood. He has produced many large scale sculptures for exhibitions and public art projects. He also takes smaller garden-size commissions, including carving trees in situ. The oak for his carvings in this trail came from Longleat.
16. Summertime in Yellow by Ian Marlow
Stainless steel with powder-coated colour
Ian works mainly in stainless steel and glass to create delicate but larger than life sculptures based on natural forms. He creates different effects and colours with added texture and powder coating. He aims to reflect the balance of nature in the shapes, forms and lines of leaves, flowers and seedheads. His figural work is strong and dramatic, but there is a delicacy in the flowing lines.
17. Willow Lady by Community Workshop led by Serena de la Hey
Somerset willow
Serena is an innovator in the use of willow and her sculptural work encompasses a range of traditional and contemporary materials. Based in the Somerset Levels, she has worked all over the world on a range of projects. This figural sculpture was produced during a drop-in day workshop in June led by Serena and replaces an earlier Willow Lady.
18. Jungle Feet by Chris Kampf
Rusted steel with oil finish
After taking a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, Chris designed jewellery for many years. He changed to making garden sculptures in 2011 and has been making striking steel structures based on natural forms ever since. His simple interpretation of leaves and buds in steel stand out well against a garden backdrop, on a lawn or with plants growing around them.
19. Rooks by Melanie Deegan
Mixed media
Melanie trained as a woodcarver before taking up full-time sculpting. She has experimented with a range of media and now works mostly in Jesmonite, an acrylic resin to which she adds colour and different materials for texture. Most of her sculptures begin with a wire armature onto which the layers of resin are applied.
20. Willow Fish by Angela Morley
Mixed willow and Mixed willow and dogwood
Angela took a degree in Horticulture before studying at Farnham Art College. Her passion for nature led her to experiment with weaving natural materials, some of which are harvested from her own willow beds and hedgerows. Although her sculptures are short-lived outdoors, they keep well indoors. Her fish sculptures were inspired by the Abbot of Glastonbury’s fishponds at Meare.
21. Grace by Ian Marlow
Steel, Stainless steel
Ian works mainly in stainless steel and glass to create delicate but larger than life sculptures based on natural forms. He creates different effects and colours with added texture and powder coating. He aims to reflect the balance of nature in the shapes, forms and lines of leaves, flowers and seedheads. His figural work is strong and dramatic, but there is a delicacy in the flowing lines.
22. Monks by Sophie Courtiour
Somerset willow
Sophie Courtiour is a Somerset-based willow sculptor, who fell under the spell of willow as a traditional, local and sustainable medium. She has spent the last decade creating dynamic large-scale pieces in Britain and abroad. She has been inspired to meet the challenge of creating two monks in flowing habits to walk in the cloister.
23. Wellspring by John Candler
Portland stone and glass (commissioned from Shakspeare Glass)
John’s work is mainly influenced by the sea and landscapes of the South West and often incorporates glass within the sculpture. He made this piece for the abbey sculpture trail to reflect the importance of the springs and wells in Glastonbury. It is appropriately sited close to the abbey’s ancient well and St Joseph’s Crypt, which have long been a focus for pilgrims.
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