Private View and A Lot of Tasty Cake.....

So Sunday was the day that Hannah and I have been working towards all year - the Private View. Yes, we do things a little differently at the Garden - what with Private Views traditionally happening before the opening, as opposed to a month after...... but we like the Garden to look it's best - and that's pretty much now.


Artists, clients (both Hannah's and Anthony's), important people and so on descended on the Garden to view the spectacular new collection and to eat the delicious cakes Hannah had bought.


Photos.....well, you can see my priorities...

Here we have the lovely Lorraine and Monika...

And here is some of Neil Wilkin's work (wish I had my real camera, as the shaft of light looked incredible!)

That's it. 

Manic Morning (or three..)

Exciting time of year at the garden - all the new sculpture is being placed ready for the summer season. As Hannah didn't go to Australia last winter, she found 9 new artists to exhibit, as well as the old favourites. I've been rushing about like a headless chicken for the past few days: trying to organise sculptors, supervise work placement, fill out contracts etc etc etc. And of course, on Friday morning EVERYONE decided to turn up very promplty at 10 o'clock, which caused absolute bedlam and me almost missing out on Lorraine's amazing Victoria Sponge (oh it's a hard life).

Thankfully I have managed to document a few pieces placed (one of which took all day!).

Here we have Paul Vanstone shifting one of his spectacular Rajasthan marble torsos... absolutely stunning green veined stone. Paul, like many of our artists, has his own mobile gantry that he uses to shift his work (although, as seen in the Autumn, sometimes they just opt for sheer brute force!)

 And this is Keith Rand, with the biggest sculpture I have even watched placed in the garden - a 14 feet wooden 'ridge' structure. First they had to plant a limestone base to hold up the sculpture (I helped), then manhandle this beast through the woods and down to the area. Hannah and I were chilling out on Anthony's decking at the time.

I am hiding in the office today as I am feeling a little sorry for myself (leaving party from the Parrot last night....).

A Few More Scribbles....

I guess I've been pretty lazy in the last couple of months. I say that, the truth is I've been ridiculously busy (2 amazing trips to Italy, working solidly...and so on) and therefore haven't really gotten round to drawing anything. 

So I knocked up these two the other day (shocking photos..I think my iPhone camera might be giving up on me) - I think the first one is probably the best I've done thus far in this series (I know the photo makes it look crap....)

And the other one...

Oh yes, and I've also been busy at work this morning creating a twitter account for the Sculpture Garden (how very modern of me!) 

You can follow it here.

Do it.