PRESS 2016

Frome Standard, March '16 - Local Artists' work focal pieces/Chelsea Flower Show story Frome Times, March '16 - Chelsea Flower Show commission

Fine Times Recorder, March '16 - Bishop unveiling at Bishops Palace

Wells Journal, March '16 - New sculpture unveiled at Bishops Palace

The Visitor Magazine, May '16 - Somerset artists net Chelsea Flower Show commission

BBC Get Creative Day, April '16 - workshops at Black Swan Arts

Bruton Town website - Chelsea Flower Show commission

The Fine Times Recorder - Chelsea Flower Show commission

Bishop commission - Country Gardener

Mendip Times, May '16 - Bishop and Chelsea

Gardens Illustrated, May '16 - Chelsea

Sunday Telegraph, 29 May '16 - Chelsea canopy

Viking Cruises brochure for Chelsea Garden, May '16

Somerset Live - Chelsea artists return

Frustrated Gardener blog - Chelsea Mekong Garden

Garden Design Journal - Chelsea

Country Life, Collectors' Issue, 1 June '16

Chelsea Fringe website - Hidden Garden Art Show

Frome Standard, 9 June '16

Ham and High - Hidden Garden Art Show

The Artiscape - Gold and Best Artisan Garden Awards for Somerset Artists

The Visitor Magazine, June '16 - Gold and Best Artisan Garden Awards at Chelsea Flower Show for Somerset Artists

Bruton Town website, June '16 -  Secret Swans Art Trail

SculptSite.com, June '16 - Secret Swans Art Trail Adds Mystery to Frome Festival

Frome Festival, July '16 - Secret Swans Success Story

Somerset Cool Blog, July '16 - 30 Years of Art - Black Swan Arts, Frome

Frome Standard, July '16 - Secret Swans

Frome Times, August '16 - Black Swan - Beacon for the Arts

Salisbury Journal, Aug '16 - step in stone tours to Salisbury Art Centre

Viking Cruises Mekong Garden - RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Just back from a stint at Chelsea Flower Show celebrating the success of the Viking Cruises Mekong Garden's gold and best artisan garden awards, Nick Weaver and I were overawed by the massive interest in our focal pieces for the garden, which appeared to have the wow factor.

A seemingly endless stream of visitors in their 1000s admired and appreciated the garden, designed by multi-gold award-winner Sarah Eberle.  People expressed how much they would love to lounge on Nick's boat and chill, with the water gently lapping around them and visitors were charmed by the 'ethereal beauty' and colours of my canopy, many intrigued by its makeup.  Sarah Eberle described it in her BBC TV interview this week with Joe Swift as her best bit of the garden: “I love the canopy.. like a celestial beam.. wonderfully charming”!

I was commissioned by Sarah Eberle to create the canopy for her Artisan Mekong Garden, inspired by Cambodia’s floating gardens, traditional fishing nets and silk weaving in the Mekong River region, following Sarah’s journey on board sponsor Viking Cruises Magnificent Mekong.  Nick made a lounger styled on a traditional fishing boat.

The 7 x 5m garden is entirely water with a small deck leading to the boat/lounger and cantilevered canopy suspended above. The beds follow the style of the region and contain an eclectic mixture of fruit, flowers and vegetables. Harvested hazel, other reclaimed woods and a plethora of woven wire, silk and found materials have all be used to harmonise with the planting.

I was approached by Sarah after seeing my installation piece “Lichen” at the Maureen Michaelson Gallery stand at GROW London last year.  The 4 metre textured fishing net/canopy I made by hand incorporates incredibly fine woven copper wires, fruit netting bags, twine, silk, wool and other surprising found and reclaimed materials like fish skeletons!  I also made 3 wire baskets used as props. It was a great pleasure and honour working with Sarah for Chelsea Flower Show and amazing to have achieved such highly acclaimed awards. The team involved many others, including Nigel Evans (paint effects on boat) and Angela Morley (supplied trombone squash), and we are grateful to all who have supported us, given materials and helped!

After over 4 months of hard work, I am a little exhausted but elated!

To see more photos of the Chelsea Flower Show work in progress visit my Art Facebook Page

Next show - The Hidden Garden Art Show, at Maureen Michaelson Gallery, Hampstead, London; 4 – 12 June.  I will be showing a range of my work, alongside other selected artists (see poster below).  On Sunday 12 June this Gallery is also hosting a day as part of Chelsea Fringe Festival, where I will be demonstrating my sculpting techniques from 11am – 5pm, with a talk at 3pm.  Do come along!

www.maureenmichaelson.com or www.chelseafringe.com

Bishop Unveiling and Chelsea Flower Show

My steel Bishop was unveiled on 7th April by Bishop Ruth of Taunton at Bishop's Palace & Gardens.  The sculpture represents the local myth about the medieval Bishop Jocelyn of Wells, Somerset who slew the Dragon of Worminster, saving the people of Dinder from further ravaging of their children and stock. He is looking up at the huge Dragon (to be made later), grasping his crozier and sword, in the stance of imminent attack. I was originally asked by Head Gardener James Cross to create a topiary structure - hence the style - but as it evolved it was decided the Bishop would remain purely a sculpture. He is, in effect, like a 3d linear sketch. I drew a friend, Nick Weaver, posed in the Bishop of Taunton’s cope, to help me obtain the right stance and movement of drapes. A vicar at Wells Cathedral also kindly posed briefly for me in his robes in Dragon-slaying stance, which amused him! As the Bishop is a 'man of cloth', I tried to devise ways of not being too anatomically figurative, so that the inner structure only hints at his body, and that the drapes of his robes, cope, cross and mitre are the focus.

His ethereal appearance means visitors may need to look twice when they come across him!

Below are a few pics.  To see how the work developed please visit my Art Facebook Page

I am now fully focused on finishing my canopy/net for Chelsea Flower Show's 'Viking Cruises' artisan garden.  It took me a month and a half just to weave the net (in 25 sections) by hand with fine copper wires; it's been more fun collecting materials and building up the coloured layers.  Fish skeletons and feathers are some of the interesting additions!  A few pics below show how it's going so far.

Suddenly, it's Spring!

I completed my steel Bishop last month (see images) for Bishops Palace Gardens, Wells - to be unveiled soon!  I was originally asked to create a topiary structure, but as he evolved it was decided the Bishop would remain purely a sculpture.  I created him as a 3d linear sketch.  He represents a myth about the medieval Bishop Jocelyn of Wells who slayed the Dragon of Worminster, saving the people of Dinder from further ravaging of their children and stock.  The Dragon will be made later.

I’ve been involved in work behind the scenes at Black Swan Arts as a Trustee. The current Young Open Exhibition required lots of preparation – an impressive show of young talent including some of my students from All Hallows and elsewhere.  Very proud that some of them were winners!  Celebrations for Black Swan’s 30th anniversary this year include some exciting events coming soon at the centre – BBC’s Get Creative Day (Drop-in workshops on Sat 2^nd April, 2-4pm), 1000 Postcards (exhibition & sale of mini artworks by artists/celebs), Secret Swans (trail as part of Frome Festival) and 30 Plinths exhibition.  A chance to look forward to a great future for Black Swan and vital fund-raising.  If you’d like to help or take part do visit www.blackswan.org.uk.  We need 1000 postcard artworks by June!

My work for the Viking Cruises Chelsea Flower Show Artisan Garden, designed by Sarah Eberle, is now well under way.  It is inspired by Cambodian floating gardens and fishing techniques of the Mekong region.  I'm working on it collaboratively with Nick Weaver, who's making the wood boat/lounger, while I'm making a 4 metre textured fishing net/canopy by hand (see image), incorporating fine woven copper wires, twine, silk, wool and other surprising found materials like fish skeletons!  I am avidly collecting lemon netting bags for it.  It’s a long process and an exciting prospect – I’ve not produced work for Chelsea Flower Show before.  I will be there on 24/25 May, so please come and say hello if you have tickets!  Updates about this will be added to this blog in due course or visit here.

This June I will be exhibiting works in The Hidden Garden Art Show at Maureen Michaelson Gallery in Hampstead, London (June 4-12).  On Sunday 12 June this Gallery is also hosting a day as part of Chelsea Fringe Festival where I will be demonstrating my sculpting techniques.  For more information about these events, visit www.maureenmichaelson.com or www.chelseafringe.com.

Looking ahead, 'step in stone' - the artscapes-in-quarries project I ran last year - will be touring to Salisbury Art Centre in Aug/Sept.  Artworks by all 14 artists will feature - a chance to see some of the work if you missed it last year.

Have a lovely Spring!