In 1951 Duncan Carse, the voice of ‘Dick Barton – Special Agent’, a BBC serial thriller with a huge daily audience, abruptly gave up his radio acting career to lead a six-man private Antarctic expedition during 1951-52 that planned to make the first accurate map of South Georgia. It failed to achieve this, but Carse organised a […]
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Composition and flow
The Picasso etching Le Repas Frugal (1904) demonstrates in two dimensions how the subconscious or intentional actions of the artist can assist the viewer’s eye around the composition without too much effort. The joints of the fingers and arms lead one’s eye from one character to the other and back again. Whether a contrivance or not, […]
On the tradition of pre-conceiving sculpture
This short clip is part of a Documentary film by Anna Thornhill. It features archive footage of sculptor Alan Thornhill working on a sculpture in Putney in 1989 and the resulting work, Exodus, some 20 years later at Kingscote Park in Gloucestershire. Thornhill’s self-devised method of improvisation using clay allowed him to abandon the use of the sculpture […]
Leonora Carrington on intellectualising art
It is sad to hear Leonora Carrington has died aged 94. Her recent sculpture (in the link, seen here in the exhibition which she lived long enough to see open), is seemingly interpreted from the imagery of her earlier paintings. For me, it does not have the power of her two-dimensional work or earliest sculpture. Nevertheless, for […]
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth
Never having visited Bournemouth, it was with some curiosity that I arrived at the Russell-Cotes to deliver 4 works to support a new exhibition based around their collection. Stripped – The Body Beautiful opens on 10th June (until 1st January 2012) and the gallery which houses the sculptures is painted a rich chocolate-brown which shows off the […]
The Environment Series Heads
In 2006, the first of the ENVIRONMENT SERIES portrait sittings began as a logical extension to the invitations to people whose work or stance I admired. The head of Lady Philippa Scott, with her husband Peter Scott a formidable partnership for wetland conservation from their Slimbridge home, had been one of the earliest heads in […]
The human clay: Compton
It was magical to discover that the painter I studied with at The Frink School (and recently visited in Edinburgh) Ruth Addinall, had come across artist Mary Wondrausch‘s wonderful book Brickfields and corresponded with her. Wondrausch’s slipware has a historical resonance and is in the V&A Collection, but her broader talents have resulted in a house and […]
Angel of the North
En route for Scotland for sittings with sculptor Ronald Rae and Founder/Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park Peter Murray as part of my sculpture series of heads, I was privileged to spend a few hours with Fenwick Lawson, an artist whose work is less well-known internationally than it perhaps should be. After training at the Royal […]
Oscar Nemon – Frink School link
Another historical link to the The Frink School of Sculpture is the sculptor Oscar Nemon. Rosemary Barnett, Frink School Founder and Director, was once apprentice to Nemon. The website is worthy of a look, and Oscar Nemon’s daughter Aurelia Young regularly lectures on her father’s life and work. There is a forthcoming talk in Hampshire on 23rd […]
Modern British Sculpture – Mission Creep
When travelling abroad, workers’ canteens yield culinary delight as the bill is small and the richness of the experience unexpected. Expectation grows in proportion to resource committed. Thus, I thoroughly enjoyed the Modern British Sculpture exhibition at the Royal Academy. It was a no-brainer; I entered free with an RA Friend, and my expectations were directed to the vision of a long […]
Sculpture stimulating the creativity of young people
Looking back to Summer 2006, this short film reminded me just how essential it is to be working with children from time to time. Jigsaw worked with several Herefordshire schools for those with special needs. We introduced elements: Fire, Water and Wind, and young people responded to aural stimulus. The results were fresh and lively: […]
Protected: List of Practical Exercises
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Smooth, yet not complete
One perennial issue with clay sculpture seems to be the pre-occupation with the smooth – perhaps aimed at some form of ‘finish’ – with less attention to the completeness of the sculptural form or plane, by which I mean where the surface should attempt to be visually consistent – read as one – in whatever texture […]
Large Clay Sculpture: Improvisation course at West Dean
4 day course at West Dean College, West Sussex led by Jon Edgar – abandoning the use of the armature as stifling to creativity, students construct random clay elements (left) and then free-build with them… turning the clay matrix and continuing to add until forms start to emerge. This technique was devised by veteran sculptor Alan […]
How to Make a Difference
An article by Fran Monks after an interview conducted with Jon Edgar during the Chawton ‘Sculpture in the Wilderness’ exhibition, 2010. http://howtomakeadifference.net/2010/10/jon-edgar/
Scott bronze to Slimbridge
Lady Philippa Scott sat as part of my environmental series of heads in early 2007. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust – that she and husband Peter Scott had been so instrumental in founding – have just taken delivery of a bronze of the terracotta head, which will be unveiled in summer 2011. This will commemorate […]
Chawton House – Sculpture in the Wilderness
Opened by the Mayor of Winchester, Chawton House Chief Executive, Stephen Lawrence and Chair of the Trustees Gilly Drummond, DL. Chawton interpretation leaflet and map of sculptures
Sussex Life – A Life in Sculpture
This reproduced article from Sussex Life magazine accompanied the 12 week Worthing Museum and Art Gallery exhibition; March-June 2010. Published in May 2010. Sussex Life May 2010 article
Exhibition: Worthing Museum March-June 2010
The exhibition was opened by the Mayor of Worthing and had over 40 works displayed both inside and outdoors. Worthing Jon Edgar location of works leaflet Worthing Museum 2010 exhibition interpretation leaflet
Memory and Desire Film
Possibly the only time I’m ever going to appear in a principal cast list after Nick Rhodes… http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/catalogue/browse/?id=9F210A5C18bbd27D1CYtWJ498BC0 The sitting took place in North London in 2008 following an approach from the artist. This is the second of two bronzes created from the terracotta original.