Inspired by Birds, Norwich Castle

Philospher with Bird, balsa wood and wire, 94cm h. 2013

This is currently showing in Inspired by Birds: Norwich Castle Open Art Show 2014 (Saturday 12 July - Sunday 31st August). The main exhibition downstairs at Norwich Castle - The Wonder of Birds: Nature Art Culture (Saturday 24 May - Sunday 14 September) - is  superb.  There is a stunning Holbein amongst many varied treasures.

Cley 14

CLEY 14  North Norfolk Exhibition Project
I was honoured to be asked by the curators Polly Binns and Rod Bugg to create eight figures to install on the medieval pedestals situated high up within the spandrels of the beautiful, largely C15th church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Cley, Norfolk.   It was hoped I would be able to create 10 figures - there are fourteen pedestals in total - so I included two birds as I was only able to produce eight figures in the time available - all in balsa wood and/or card.  The church is already richly endowed with medieval carvings - it is a delight.

The installation was really difficult to capture in a photograph, and I am  grateful to Pete Huggins who rescued me after my many failed attempts with a fine set of images which includes these shown here.
The figures all referenced nature in one way or other and carried a symbol to this affect reflecting the medieval format.  The Nature figure shown above, second down, was inspired by a C13th  illumination of nature in a manuscript of Artistotle's "Physics".  Other figures included St. Francis, St. George, Adam, Eve, Flora, Archaic Priestess (above), The Good Shepherd.

Masked

 

I am showing a series of watercolour drawings and balsa wood sculptures on the theme of masked figures from 16th August to 3rd September 2014 at Halesworth Gallery. Not to be confused with the Cut, Halesworth Gallery was established in 1966, and has been successfully managed all these years by a committee of local residents and artists.  It is to be found at Steeple End by St. Mary's Church in the centre of town.  The gallery is on the first floor of an ancient building and consists of three sizeable rooms, so that each exhibition features three artists with one room each.  The other artists exhibiting in this show are Michaela D'Agati, a young constructivist, and the mysterious Gilbert Winston.