Category: Sculptor

“I am a potter and sculptor working with stoneware and sculptural crank.

I am fascinated by form and texture, and by the way a surface comes alive after firing.

These forms evolve organically during the making process and are designed to withstand sunshine and rain—to be strong and resilient, just as I aspire to be.

After my father was brutally attacked and killed, I stepped away from shows and exhibitions. In my grief and trauma, I turned to the studio, focusing on making what brought me joy. I found myself creating large pumpkins and gourds, and I am so grateful for the creative process that helped me navigate such a difficult time. These pieces are incredibly close to my heart and hard to part with, as they contain hidden messages and tokens—the only way I could continue creating while still holding my father close.”    – Tara Davidson

I’m a Gloucestershire-based mixed media artist and tutor of over 22 years, inspired by the joy of expression found through printed and painted surfaces.

My work as an Artist is ultimately informed by lived connections with the cycle of Nature’s seasons (I also work as a forest school facilitator), and a deep spiritual connection with the Earth.

Expressive mark-making, celebration of natural pattern and form are persistent themes that weave throughout my work whatever the medium … and the playful joy of colour and composition that enables me to express our connectivity to the Natural world.

This creating for joy is carried through into my varied lively workshops that I run locally, both indoors and outside, as a Community Artist; aimed at nurturing individual confidence and wellbeing, creating community and inviting intuitive flow into our busy modern lives.

I also work to commission (i.e. specific colour ways) if you have an idea, or space in mind. Please email Cotswold Sculpture Park if this might interest you.

Lucy has explored other species professionally for over 30 years through filmmaking, academia and art. She has been privileged to work with a diverse range of animals from great apes to otters, and many domestic species.
Her inspiration as a professional artist lies in getting beneath the surface of an animal – understand what makes each one ‘tick’ as a unique being and capturing something of their energy and essence. Regardless of whether it’s a domestic dog or a wild leopard, the individuality – the personality – of each subject is important to her.
Based in rural Devon, she creates limited edition pieces and private commissions by
casting stone or metals and has developed her own unique method of patination using
raw Earth pigments. These give her sculptures a soft, organic feel which echoes the tonal
qualities of fur.

“I make my sculpture by welding many small pieces of stainless steel rod to each other.  By the time I am finished, the entire surface is covered with welded metal and you no longer can see any of the rods.  That overall welding is what gives the sculpture its articulated surface.

You might wonder why, if the sculpture is made of stainless steel, it is not bright and shiny like your refrigerator, or your fork and spoon.  That is because, when the metal is welded, it gets red hot.  As it cools, the oxygen in the air forms metal oxides on the surface of the metal.  These oxides are very hard and they are what makes the surface dark.  I like that surface, so I leave it rather than grinding off these oxides to expose the shiny metal underneath.  Also, I hate grinding.                                            

My sculptures are abstract, organic forms, designed to stand as a figure stands, in a landscape. The larger pieces seem to require the secure, quiet, human scale of a garden, where they can be viewed close up, over time, surrounded by plants and trees with all the attendant wild life of birds and insects.  Looking back, I think every sculpture I ever made was either imagined standing in a garden or was itself a small garden.”                        – Richard Baronio

 

Ian Gill is an award-winning metal artist now living in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Having studied at Hereford College of Art & Design gaining his title AWCB Associate Of The Worshipful Company Of Blacksmiths.

Ian’s work has been held extensively in collections all over the world from Palm Springs, Mumbai, Czech Republic and the South Pacific to name a few. His work has also been commissioned by a selection
of public and corporate clients including Le Manior aux Quat’Saisons Hotel, by Raymond Blanc.

Ian has been commissioned to create work for:

WWT Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimblidge, Gloucestershire                  Bushy Park Water Gardens, Hampton Court Palace                                Dorchester Hotel, Coworth Park, Ascot                                                        Beaufort Terrace, Kings Road, London                                                          WWF                                                                                                                Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Weymouth

Ian has also sold through Sotheby’s and is also an award-winning artist showing at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. His work has also been commissioned by celebrities, VIP’s, interior designers and garden landscapers.

Ian has also been a mentor on the BBC Award winning series Make It At Market for 2 consecutive years, helping people who want to turn their craft hobby into a full time business. All 4 mentees have
successfully achieved this with Ian’s help.

Ian will be starting to run a selection of courses in the near future. Under his guidance you will be able to create your own piece for your home or garden.

Melissa is an artist working with both sculpture and photography. Her sculptures are designed to be joyful yet thought-provoking, inviting viewers to experience the joy of looking and to appreciate their colour and scale. Her work is often site-specific. The “Trippy Blooms” series for CSP is inspired by delight in bright colours in nature.

In her photographic work, Melissa explores the boundaries of the medium in the digital age, utilizing both digital and analogue processes, including the cyanotypes. She often creates models of places specifically to photograph, presenting the photograph as the final piece.

With a background in both science and the arts, Melissa has worked as a picture restorer, co-owned a shop selling artist-made toys, and is currently a Creative Mentor at Emerge, Bath Spa University’s studio residency program. Born in Ireland and now based in Bath, her work has been exhibited and has won awards in the UK, Ireland, and Brazil. She has done residencies and workshops using cyanotypes. She recently completed a PhD at Bath Spa University, researching an appropriate definition for the contemporary photograph.

“For some people making and creating is something they have to do. I am one of those people.
From a diverse creative background, today I make large geometric sculptural forms that are designed to be a strong focal point in any garden or interior design.
I work in metal and glass that stand the test of time and travel with you throughout your life.
I am particularly interested in the impact a sculpture has through all of our beautiful seasons. I love to see how the light reflects off of them and how they cast shadows and how they glow with colour.
I cut patterns inspired by the natural world that I see around me to create depth to the pieces.
I run the Wye Valley Sculpture Garden in Tintern which in essence is my studio garden where my sculptures are on permanent display. In the summer, I open the garden up to other artists for the Summer Sculpture Exhibition.” – Gemma Kate Wood

“Growing up on a working farm in rural Dartmoor has been the backbone behind my magnetism towards stone and its permanence within the landscape.

As a sculptor and stonemason back living and working on Dartmoor, the practise of shaping limestone, marble and granite is an important meditative process for me. I predominantly make abstract geometric sculpture.

Looking through stone has always been an aspiration, as the core is rarely seen in a sculpture, and this has become a key subject in my work. Coming from a background in DJing for many years, listening to music is fundamental to allow me to access my imagination and become open to express myself through carving.

Studying geology, music and fine art, with a deep-rooted curiosity in natural wonders, my work has many links to geometry, and the diversity of natural forms. Symmetry, balance and fragility are distinct themes in my work, as I continue to explore and experiment with range of vibrant and varied stone types. While carving, decisions and actions are constantly evolving while exploring and pushing the stones possibilities and limits.

My work is best viewed from all directions and presents diverse qualities from different angles. Allowing the viewer to see how the sculpture appears connected geometrically. The series, “Good Vibrations” is carved from a cube, with three interconnecting sides making up the six sides. The form appears fluid and geometric, with the sculpture changing form as it is walked around and viewed from different angles. It is positioned on an axis to allow the viewer to see how the light shines through the stone, creating an everchanging appearance.”