Handmade at Kew 2017 12 - 15 October
The trees are handmade from a number of single strand wires, twisted together, that run from the roots to the leaves. No glue, solder or other means are used to hold them together, it is purely down to the way the strands are twisted. The beauty of this art is that no two sculptures are the same. There may be similarity of style between pieces, material used, or type of tree being represented, but the way they are made means that every sculpture will always be unique.
Trees and Me!The variety and beauty of trees has become the sole inspiration shaping my creative craft. Many mutations are produced by environmental influences on the same species of tree whether from prevailing winds, deep valleys, significant rainfall or heat from the sun. These forces control and shape the trees as they grow and mature into living monuments.
A landscape without trees can look barren, empty and desolate. The very presence of mature trees suggests a well established, even ancient, place. The magnificent old castles and houses of the United Kingdom are, almost without exception, accompanied by equally magnificent trees that almost verify the authenticity of the buildings age. Mankind can mimic the perception of age by skilful building but a monumental tree suggests the process of time has been at work. Even the fastest growing trees need time to look mature. Some needing many lifetimes before grandchildren and great-grandchildren play in the shaded areas beneath the canopy of grown saplings their ancestors hardly noticed. Ancient history records the conquering of lands by invading armies and the humiliation born by the subjected population. Devastation was sometimes wrought on their landscape by the felling of trees, leaving a scar that reminded people of their situation, their subjugation, for many years to come. Then slowly, slowly time and nature reclaim the damaged terrain, repairing, rejuvenating, regrowing, so the generations that followed could barely conceive of the destruction that took place. Trees give a sense of history, an image of permanence and an indication of life, visible and hidden, in the landscape. They give texture to the scenery and, when you walk in the wooded areas, they wrap you in a leafy blanket of nature that never fails to impress those who take a moment to notice what has taken years to perfect. They are natures clock that signals the seasons with new life in spring, fullness in summer, colour and fruit in autumn and bare structure in winter. The impressive, inspiring beauty of a mature structured tree is strived for in the ancient art of bonsai, seeking to model these gigantic plants in miniature. That is what gives me a lot of creative satisfaction and urges me to do better each time I begin another sculpture. |
Instagram feed wirewood_trees
Places to view my work
Dartington Craft Centre, South Devon
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