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I visit the Water Gardens with three, small stone maquettes. Immediately the first piece I made in French limestone claims its right to be the chosen one. After consideration the Laurel Lawns are chosen for the site and I return to my studio to build a lightweight, full scale model.

 

Over the last two weekends of June I take part in NYOS 09 (North Yorkshire Open Studios), I wished to use the event to show and explain my current projects to visitors. I prepared portfolios and sketch books and collect pieces of my work from around my house and garden.

Thank you to all Trust members who came to see the progress of the Studley Royal sculpture. The stone maquettes and the first lightweight, scaled-up model were here to be seen and handled along with drawings and photos. I had little time for practical demonstrations but the opportunity to talk through the development of shapes and forms in the proposed sculpture was really valuable.

 

 

Photo: Porl Medlock

 

I visit Studley Royal with the large model and place it on the laurel lawn, but there are problems; the important meeting of crisp line with curving form that were inspired by Tents Hill and the waters edge, are impossible to view together in this site. Also, when the sculpture stands vertically the semi circular forms dominate and diminish the pools and planes cut into them; they shout their relationship with the Abbey rather than, as I wish them to, echo it.

 

We move closer to the Water Gardens and here on the beautiful lush green lawns, in the glorious summer sunshine, I see the curves, lines and textures together. The model throws crisp pools of shadow on the grass connecting the sculpture directly with the landscape that inspired it.

But in the vast, open space the model is too small and I must make a larger model before the stone is ordered.

At home, my studio is hit by a polystyrene snow-storm as I make the larger light weight maquette.

 

 

I visit the Stoneyard at York Minster where I worked for a number of years, and discuss the possibility of their sawyers removing some of the 1000kgs of stone that needs to be taken away from the six sided block that comes out of the quarry in Tadcaster. With their support, this larger sculpture becomes possible.