Sculpture in the Garden

June 6, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

A Sculpture will transform any Garden, huge or pocket-sized, elaborate or austere. It will need to be made of beautiful, quality materials that have a radiance complimentary to your gorgeous plants. A piece needs to be frost-proof and easily cleaned. No material is as durable or as low maintenance as high-fired Clay.

I make simple , movable plinths with old bricks and attractive stone paving tiles. Dig a hole and put in some bricks to make a foundation if the Sculpture is tall or very heavy, then build a hollow plinth with a small doorway that can double as a safe, cosy home for wild-life. If security is an issue or the piece is tall and vulnerable to high winds sink a stake into the ground, build the plinth around this and have the stake go into the Sculpture- many of my Sculptures are hollow and you can set them securely with cement if needs be.My garden is 8 years old and is now really coming into it’s own.

The River, commission.

Wyvern II, 70cm H x 52cm W. £1100. (sold)

Up is Down XV, £300 (sold)

Harbinger I, £600. (sold)

Up is Down XVI, 26cm H x 56cm L, £300.

Up is Down II, 42cm H x 90cm L, £950.

Half a Century III, 40cm H, £150.(sold)

River Harbinger, at Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Garden, 125cm H, £950 (sold)

The River III, 80cm H, £500 Sold

The Edge III, 57cm H, £600, (sold).

Callipygous, 41cm H x 73cm L, £600. (sold)

In the winter sculptures give the garden focal points and structure while the plants rest.

Up is Down IV, 44cm H x 58cm L, £2400 (sold)

Up is Down II, 80cm L, £300

Harbinger I, £600. (sold)

The Garden backs right onto the wonderful country-side of the Brecon Beacons National Park

Osprey Studios Garden backs right onto the wonderful country-side of the Brecon Beacons National Park

Sculptures will define each area of your garden. This patio at the end of the garden is a calm, reflective place with dappled shade in the summer and warm sun in spring and autumn. In the winter the sculpture stands out and is eye catching from the house.

Up is Down II, 41cm H x 80cm L, £300.

Musings, 21cm H, £150. (sold)

Musings, 20cm H, £150.(sold)

The Edge XI, 77cm L x 49cm H, £300

The Edge I , 52cm H, £730.(sold)

The Edge XII, 71.5cm L x 46.5cm H x 40cm D. £1400 (sold)

The Edge XI, 77cm L x 49cm H x 40cm D. £300

Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens.

June 4, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

Henry Moore said that a sculpture was not complete until it was in the place it’s owner chose for it. It is wonderful to see my pieces transformed by new settings; it is the best part of delivering work to Exhibitions.

Wyndcliffe Court is a truly lovely place. You follow a narrow winding road past old-fashioned meadows and woodland to reach the beautiful house.

Wyndcliffe Court has extensive, mature Topiary.

Wyndcliffe Court Gardens are Grade II listed and designed in the Arts and Crafts style. Situated along the Wye Valley between Chepstow and Tintern, they are beautiful formal gardens with views to the south and east. Open every weekend, they are showcasing contemporary sculptures by local and well-known British artists. Open from 2nd May – 28th September 2014 three sculpture shows will run consecutively, each collection featuring hundreds of sculptures to suit all tastes in a wide variety of mediums, sizes and styles situated throughout the garden and offering the opportunity to view and purchase beautiful sculpture with an outstanding backdrop.

The Gardens are full of unusual, breath-taking, mature plants.

The couple running this new venture are both Artists themselves. They are wonderfully down to earth and very knowledgable about Contemporary Art. They charge a modest Commission and are very supportive to their Artists so prices there are extremely competitive. There is a wide range of styles and materials on show across the enchanting Gardens. There is a delightful Shop and the most perfect Terrace Tea-shop. Their Website is very helpful.

Standing Form, 110cm H, £650

Callipygous, 41cm H x 73cm L, £600.

Serenity, 53cm H, £625

River Harbinger, 125cm H, £950

Up Is Down X, 52cm W, £550

Up is Down IX, 57cm W, £550

Studio Diary, The Tumble Commission, part 2.

May 20, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

The Photography Shoot was even better than I had expected; stunning weather, lovely people exchanging ideas, a great lunch and Stephen Foote working with grace and charm, taking time with each person to be sure he got what they hoped for.

The Studio had been scrubbed down and tidied so Steve’s kit didn’t get dusty and the Commission wrapped in plastic to rest and let the water in the clay settle. It was great to have a few days break then un-wrap the piece in a clean room and review the progress with fresh eyes.

The build method is the same as for the Monumental Sculptures but scaled down. The walls are thinner , the coils smaller , but the same sort of supports are used. The final sections will be much bigger so where the cuts will be needs to be pre-planned and internal structure put in to support the sections through the fire.

Because the form shrinks as it dries, internal supports are clay and shrink with the form and external ones need to allow shrinkage or only be used for short periods. Quality memory foam is ideal because it lets the clay shrink yet will hold up surprising amounts of weight.The finger marks also support the walls and are left on the inside and only smoothed away on the outside after the section has gone firm.

The clay is Scarva’s Earthstone Crank Material, ES50, and it is awesome. Their previous Crank had fantastic build quality but it was a minging colour wet and fired unless you put something made in Black Chunky in the kiln with it – then it took on a lovely gold shade. This new Crank is even better to use and will fire to very nice pale gold ideal for the setting.

The lower section will stay wrapped most of the time to slow the drying and allow the water time to drop. I believe this makes the walls stronger but that might be nonsence. Each Clay-person develops their own relationship with their clay and techniques that are a breeze for one might be chaos for another. I started as Coil-builder 34 years ago and over time I’ve added a lot of side-shoots to my method.

It is 3/4 built, 225kgs of clay, 95cm high. I have definatly done the easy bits – from here on up it will be very slow; smaller coils added in small doses. In-between I’ll work on the surface images and the edges. This initial stage is building the basic form. A lot of clay will be added to bring out the curves and images. That will be left to harden and then the whole piece will be re-fined with subtractive methods. 3 steps forward , 2 steps back, slow and steady.

Studio Diary, The Tumble Commission, part 1.

May 12, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

The Scale Model for a lovely commission for a beautiful Care Home in Carmarthenshire got a very warm and positive response and after months of workshops, planning and very careful thought the build has started.

As usual I’ve over -designed for the budget… but that’s my prerogative- I always stick to my quoted fee and how many hours I put in is up to me.I get a buzz out of challenge and this piece has steep leans , a very complex form and very strong themes that must be stuck to.

It has been developed from content gathered from other Artists on the Team working in a range of creative styles and with some extraordinary Primary School pupils.

The children’s ideas were so sophisticated, profound and complex. For example; After spending a series of workshops with the Home’s Residents making tiles for the Plinth, they built the idea that life is a journey full of change and phases so they wanted to see a pathway that traveled around the sculpture. They wanted a warm , welcoming form that harnessed the rain ( that falls very regularly here in Wales!) to create pools and flowing rivers that represented the Love that is all around us and flows through our lives. Wonderful!

Many of the Residents have Dementia and all are very disabled. But they joined in, charmed by these adorable kids, and it was their warmth and sincerity the children picked up on. They talked about many of the harsh realities of their long lives; war, poverty, mining, loss.And the joys; the beautiful landscape of the country they love, pets, family, work.

When your Commissioners pour so much of themselves into the consultation phase you owe them something stunning. That includes Arts Care Gofal Celf who are running this 2 year, multi -Artist project with Gwalia and they are both a joy to work for.

So this piece is full of metaphors and symbols. And, I hope, the grace and integrity of the many people who brought it together.

Near the Studio is the beautiful valley I go to regularly (the River Series came from there) and it is the perfect place to support this Sculpture. And it certainly rained enough this winter.

The Sculpture will be 1metre 40cm high plus the Plinth and 1m 80cm wide.

I always make scale model people too so I have the eye-lines right. They help to illustrate the scale.

Measuring carefully from the Model the piece is coil-built using a variety of coil methods . The details are roughed in as the lower sections will necessarily get hard to support the weight of the following layers. Timing is everything. I do use fans and supports but if you mess too much with the drying phases you may well get cracks. If you work too fast it will collapse and I hate it when that happens.

There are internal support-walls and buttresses. The piece will be cut in large sections for the firing and these are pre-planned very carefully. The structure has be strong while wet , when dry,when being dismantled and moved to the kiln , through the fire, when being installed and then when it stands for decades, centuries even, in a public place. The site in this instance is a very lovely , sheltered Court-yard Garden with handsome landscaping. There wont be a problem with people climbing on it etc so I could allow some delicacy but non-the-less it is a sturdy design although I am aiming for a light, flowing feeling.

Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens.

May 7, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

Wyndcliffe Court is a truly lovely place. You follow a narrow winding road past old-fashioned meadows and woodland to reach the beautiful house.

Wyndcliffe Court has extensive, mature Topiary.

The Gardens are full of unusual, breath-taking, mature plants.

Standing Form, 110cm H, £650

Callipygous, 41cm H x 73cm L, £600.

Serenity, 53cm H, £625

River Harbinger, 125cm H, £950

Up Is Down X, 52cm W, £550

Up is Down IX, 57cm W, £550

Powys Arts Month 2014, Open Studio and Garden Exhibition.

April 15, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

All over Powys in Mid Wales, UK, Artists and Craftsmen are opening their Studios and putting on special events to share work. It is a great time to find someone whose style appeals to you and go ask them about projects of your own. We all love talking shop and encouraging others with their creativity. It is an excellent event for Bargains as Artists spring-clean their Studios and admit it is time to part with secret favourites.

Osprey Studios is open every weekend in May or phone and book any time that would be more convenient. Evenings are a tranquil, charming time in the Garden.

Everything in this section is under £30.

Osprey Studios. Easy parking and access.

Some of the Sculpture is fresh from the Kiln and new work will be on the go in the Studio.

Beautiful Penpont ,half way between here and Brecon has an Arts Month site too and is a glorious place to visit. The ‘Visit The Studio’ page here on this site has other attractions, directions and details for having a lovely day here in the south-western corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

You can show up on the day for my 2 workshops but booking in advance will secure your place.

You can get a feel for my best white clay, Scarva Architectural,on the Join-in Sculpture which will be on the go all month and I’ll put out my Momentum wheel for anyone to try for free too.

A Join In Sculpture at Brecon Jazz with The Big Skill.

The lovely kids visiting Osprey Studios with The Chernobyl Life Line trying out the Momentum Wheel

On the 17th the wonderful Photographer, Stephen Foote (see links) that did my best pictures is coming here for anyone else needing top quality images at an affordable price. Everyone is welcome to visit on that day- it will be busy and very interesting to see Stephen Foote working in the Studio.

I have had a massive clear-out; I’ve got a large Commission to build in the Studio. It will be on the go during Powys Arts Month and your feed-back during the build would be a great help. It is not going to be an easy one! I’ll have a lot of brand-new, never shown, work here. You can handle the range of specialist clays I use to see if they might suit you. And there’s also some fab seconds for sale including my Gwenllians.

Taken as a pair they will be just £500 or £300 each. Some of my other smaller seconds will be £1-£30. They are all frost proof.

Gwenllian was an actual historical Welsh Warrior Princess. Both Sculptures of her are life-sized and fully frost-proof.

Everyone including Schools and Families will be very welcome to Osprey Studios during Powys Arts Month. You can relax in the Garden with a complimentary drink and the kids can play with clay for as long as you like.

The Up Is Down Series .

February 20, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

Up is Down IX, 20cm H x 49cm L x 31cm D, £800

The Up Is Down Series started in November 2013. As often happens there was a progression from a previous Series ( the Edge). I knew there was a shift, and I knew what it was about, but couldn’t find the words for it. Sculpture is my ‘first language’, the one I think in and use to work out my understanding of the world. This is how it goes for many Artists, it’s not unusual.

Up is Down V, back view. Links to The Edge Series are obvious in this piece.

I’ve been describing our perceived borders in The Edge Series but we don’t actually possess clear borders; the cloud of particles and especially bacteria that make up us dissipates and interacts with our surroundings and fellows , interchanging constantly. When you leave the Forest some of it comes with you , some of you is left behind.We are constructed from atoms that have been used to form countless other things since the Big Bang. After death those atoms will move on to build other parts of the World. As my son put it beautifully when he was 5 ; ”So we become part of the mountain? Good.”

Up is Down V, 44cm H x 58cm L x 50cm D, £1700. The Osprey theme recurs constantly in my work. Ospreys make their living crossing the boarders between the earth,the sky and water.

Up is Down VII, back view. Many of these pieces relate to the Half A Century Series.

Up is Down VIII, 18cm H x 43cm L x 30cm D, £800

Up is Down VI, 25cm H x 31cm L x 17cm D, £1100

http://www.sciencemusings.com/2008/01/key-to-riddle.html

by Chet Raymo

‘Behind the apparent decay and new growth the atoms endure, those mysterious and eternal particles that contain within themselves tendencies to combine and recombine in endlessly creative ways.

The church, the village, the rank tropical growth, the creatures that creep and fly and crawl are composed of recycled star dust, atoms forged billions of years ago in hot, massive stars, here woven by the hands of energy and entropy into a fabric of gorgeous complexity.

I went there for the same reason the naturalist/scientist Rachel Carson went to the edge of the sea. She wrote: “Underlying the beauty of the spectacle there is meaning and significance. It is the elusiveness of that meaning that haunts us, that sends us again and again into the natural world where the key to the riddle is hidden.”’

Up is Down IV, 31cm H x 58cm L x 37cm D, £1200

The title, Up Is Down, came from Hans Zimmer, the fabulous Composer and his brilliant piece of the same name in Pirates of The Caribbean III. I have all 4 Pirates , Rango,and The Lone Ranger sound-tracks on shuffle most of the time these days. Fantastic stuff,full of wild leaps of emotion , heady ideas and humour. His version of The William Tell Overture for The Lone Ranger is hilarious and wonderful.

Like the Up Is Down scene in Pirates III,”At Worlds End” this Series breaks away from the normal parameters that have defined my forms, particularly the base contacting with the table. It will take me a while to get this right but in theory the Sculptures can be turned and displayed any way you like ; the full 360 should have impact. The weight of the wet clay makes this very difficult to pull off….! I’ll get there. I will work smaller to reduce the weights and allow me to move through new forms more quickly. It is a massive challenge for someone who started out as a Vessel builder seeped in the tradition of the classic Vase form with it’s reliable base. But even in my earliest work , 30 years ago , that base kept trying to disappear. A-symatry and unlikely balance have always been my trade-marks.

Up is Down VII, 23cm H x 40cm L x 18cm D, £1200

This piece still has a ‘base’ but it has nearly gone. It is not necessary to loose the base for the piece to make sense; I work to Themes but I don’t set rigid rules because that would be trite. It is very difficult to trust that the Forms will evolve in a valuable way given the freedom but if you don’t this work-meathod is meaningless. The idea is too prepare your craftsmanship, memory and sub-concious with as much expertise as you can. Then you add Music and give your hands and clay free reign.

A new Up Is Down in progress

Up is Down I ,41cm H x 80cm L x 48cm D, £1400 In Progress

Up Is Down II in progress

Extracts from J.P. Hodin, Barbara Hepworth, London, 1961, Two Conversations with Barbara Hepworth: ‘Art and Life’ and ‘The Ethos of Sculpture’, pp. 23–24(in conversation with J.P. Hodin, 18 August 1959)

“Art at the moment is thrilling. The work of the artist today springs from innate impulses towards life, towards growth – impulses whose rhythms and structures have to do with the power and insistence of life. […] In the past, when sculpture was based on the human figure, we knew this structure well. But today we are concerned with structures in an infinitely wider sense, in a universal sense. Our thoughts can either lead us to life and continuity or […] the way to annihilation. That is why it is so important that we find our complete sense of continuity backwards and forwards in this new world of forms and values. I see the present development in art as something opposed to any materialistic, anti-human or mechanistic direction of mind.”

Up Is Down III, 20cm H x 40cm L x 29cm D, £800

Detail, Up Is Down VII

Detail,Up Is Down VI

The Breve Series of Miniatures

September 7, 2013 by Rebecca Buck

These Miniatures are often made on location in wild places. They are set lightly on a base of stone or wood found at the site so that you can easily handle and turn them as I did when I made them. Each one is a page from my journal with influences from the mountain-side, the elements, the news, music, whatever is upper-most in my mind. Made of fine, highly durable clays they will last for centuries. They are within 15 cm long.

White Breve I, 11cm H plus stone base.

Black Breve I, 17cm H plus base stone.

Black Breve I, 17cm H + stone base.

Black Breve III, 13cm H + stone base.

Black Breve II, 11cm L + stone base.

White Breve III, 12cm L + stone base.

The Mobile Studio in one of my favourite, very quiet spots on the old road to Trecastle. The sound of the river fills the air. There are Buzzards, a Red Kite, Ravens, standing stones and the tough, small, mountain ponies that run on these hills.

The sky is huge here and ever-changing; storms blow in in minutes. I can carry on working inside the van.

Studio Diary; work in Progress,Feb 2013.

February 4, 2013 by Rebecca Buck

all of these pieces are made with Scarva Black chunky clay – they will turn black in the Fire at 1250c.It is THE most fantastic , versatile clay.The smaller ones are a similar clay with a finer grade which is remarkably flexible. in progress , 4/2/13

This was built solid and hollowed out – it is the best technique for getting an unexpected , complex form because you can work so freely.

same form , other view

I often work with one spot light so I can see the horizon of the form clearly.

I’m mostly using the music of Avishai Cohen on this part of the Edge Series but of course Steve Vai plays a part along with some amazing Gaming music my son collects for me.It’s all instrumental.

Photos can give you a new perspective on your work.Getting ongoing feed-back online is marvellous – for years I worked almost in secret! Now I have the benefit of advice , opinions and inspiration from all over the world ,particularly on Facebook which many Sculptors and Ceramisists use to exchange ideas. Like many others I have posted Step-by-Step photo Albums explaining my building methods on my Osprey Studios page .

4/2/13

Three muses.

Built hollow with slabs cut straight from the block. This is the initial version .I added a new section , caught the shape then cut it open and hollowed away the previous unwanted wall. Black Chunky is extremely course and will allow you do such things , no problem.4/2/13

Re-arranged ,Spring cleaned , far more spacious!My classes are taught right in here so students can follow my work’s ups and downs.

Feb 10th. note the board w/ wedges supporting the side.This will soon be removed.

Feb 10th.The Edge Series ; note the board w/ wedges supporting the side.This will soon be removed.Once it’s firm enough it will be hollowed out and finished.

Feb 24th; . Completed and drying,the newest addition to The Edge Series .It was made to Steve Vai’s latest Album ‘The Sound of Light’.It’s definatly my favourite so far It will fire black.

March 11

The 4 smaller pieces are complete. They have taken a tremendous amount of time and a steady hand making me glad yet again that my Studio is part of the house and warm!!

The Half a Century Series;

The Edge;

March 30th;New pieces for The Edge.

The new set up in the Studio where each sculpture can stay in the same spot from start to finish is working really well. They are heavy and fragile until they are fired.I now have 2 good kiln loads dry,time to call in my Assistants to start moving them!

These larger , rougher Sculptures from The Edge are showing the strong influence of living in the Brecon Beacons winter landscape and Cribarth Mountain behind the Studio.

4th Nov.2013

While the connection is clear, especially in this brand new piece, I have moved to a new series. I haven’t settled on a name but the philosophy is about how we don’t actually possess clear boarders; the cloud of particles and especially bacteria that make up us dissipates and interacts with our surroundings and fellows , interchanging constantly. When you leave the Forrest some of it comes with you , some of you is left behind.We are constructed from atoms that have been used to form countless other things since the big bang. After death those atoms will move on to build other parts of the World. As my son put it beautifully when he was 5 ; ”So we become part of the mountain? Good.” Meanwhile this hydraulic motor-bike lift is a life -changer.

http://www.sciencemusings.com/2008/01/key-to-riddle.html

by Chet Raymo

Behind the apparent decay and new growth the atoms endure, those mysterious and eternal particles that contain within themselves tendencies to combine and recombine in endlessly creative ways.

Extracts from J.P. Hodin, Barbara Hepworth, London, 1961, Two Conversations with Barbara Hepworth: ‘Art and Life’ and ‘The Ethos of Sculpture’, pp. 23–24

Art and Life (in conversation with J.P. Hodin, 18 August 1959)

I would really appreciate any feed-back you might have on these ideas including a Title.

Rebecca Buck

Osprey Studios, contemporary sculpture. Phone: 07913743457

Tag Archives: Abstract Sculpture

Sculpture in the Garden

Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens.

Studio Diary, The Tumble Commission, part 2.

Studio Diary, The Tumble Commission, part 1.

Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens.

Powys Arts Month 2014, Open Studio and Garden Exhibition.

The Up Is Down Series .

The Breve Series of Miniatures

Studio Diary; work in Progress,Feb 2013.

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