Sculpture in Context 2014

Sculpture in Context 2014 in The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin.
4th September to 17th October 2014

Sculpture in Context 2014 returns once again to the National Botanic Gardens, showcasing the work of Irish and international artists. It is the largest and most prestigious outdoor sculpture exhibition in Ireland.

Sculpture in Context was established in 1985 to raise the profile of sculpture and provide a platform for artists outside the normal gallery context. It is a not for profit organisation run by sculptors. The exhibition was founded by Cliodna Cussen, Colm Brennan and Gerard Cox and originated in Fernhill Gardens where it ran for 10 years. Since then it has been hosted in the Conrad Hotel, Malahide Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the Irish Management Institute, Dublin Castle, Farmleigh House and since 2002 has been held in the magnificent National Botanic Gardens.

Sculpture in Context promotes artists and creates opportunities for practicing artists to exhibit their works in a wider public arena.  The organisation has provided much needed opportunities for Irish and non-Irish sculptors in Ireland.

In total there will be 150 pieces on display this year (including a number of small pieces in the gallery above the cafe). This is a wonderful opportunity to explore the stunning botanic gardens and discover dozens of art works placed all around the gardens and within the glasshouses. 

These photo collages are just a little taste of what will be on view for the duration of the exhibition.  

I am delighted to announce I have a piece in this years exhibition. 

This natural stone and mirror mosaic piece consists of golden granite and iconic Liscannor sandstone from Co. Clare (I visited this quarry a while back with the DSWAI. Read more about this iconic stone here) 

I have made a number of square and rectangular mosaics for gardens before but, to the delight of my steel fabricator (note hint of sarcasm) I decided to go with a more organic shape this time   

Its funny, when I'm working away on a piece in the studio it always looks so much duller. Endless hours painstakingly splitting down pieces of stone with grinder and chisel, wondering if it will all come together.

Thankfully, as always, my uncertainties are put to rest when the piece is cleaned up and put out in its garden setting. That moment when the sun comes out and the piece begins to glisten, reflecting back the lush garden greens and the ever changing sky, that is when I fold my arms and give it the nod of approval.       

Sculpture in context officially opens to the public on Thursday the 4th September and will run to 17th October 2014 so plenty of time to come see all these great pieces on display. And if you're in the market for buying a unique piece of  art be sure to bring your cheque book as most of the pieces on display will also be for sale.
The gardens are open Monday to Friday 9 am - 5 pm and Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10 am - 6 pm. Be sure to call into reception and get yourself a catalogue so you don't miss any of the pieces waiting to be discovered around the gardens.  

The Family Tree Mosaic

As part of the sculptural outdoor classroom that I am working on at the moment for a school here in Dublin, I was asked to incorporate a tree somewhere into the design to represent the 'Family Tree'. The 'Family Tree' is a song which has come to symbolise the 'Croí na Scoile' (The heart of the school).

I was also asked to give the students a chance to have some input into the outdoor classroom so that they can make it their own (a very important part of the process for sure) 

My solution to this was to create a large stone mosaic of the tree into the wall of the structure and to then let the students paint the leaves of the tree on precut tiles.

Past pupils, staff, board and PTA members (past and present) received a leaf to design and paint.

Almost 100 leaf tiles were painted as well as another 70 square tiles that make up the border around the mosaic.

It was great to spend some time in the classroom with students and see the excitement about creating their very own piece of art that will remain part of the outdoor classroom for years to come.

Painting the leaf tiles in class

The finished leaf tiles painted by the students

Many many hours went into the making of the stone part of the mosaic, far more than anyone will ever know, but now that it is finished I know that it was all worth it. 

The roots of the tree

The border tiles that surround the mosaic spell out 'All different all equal' as well as its Irish translation 'Gach duine atá difriúil ach freisin cothrom'  

There is still lots to do before the outdoor classroom is complete with lots more exciting features and student involvement also, so I will get back to work now, and will post more about the outdoor classroom once it is completed.

Happy New Year and reflecting back on 2012

Detail from the 'Family Tree' mosaic I am working on for an outdoor classroom

Happy New Year everyone. I feel the need to write a new blog post as I have been neglecting to do so over the past six months or so. Looking back at 2012 it has been a mixed year. While battling our way though a severe recession I reflected on some of the positives of 2012.

Although I had a long and quiet winter and spring, 2012 did bring along a few projects that I am very happy with. I did get to make a stone mosaic panel that I had been wanting to make for some time. My mind is full of many, many ideas. Some just plain crazy, some incredibly ambitious and some that just require an enthusiastic client to make them become a reality.

Fortunately I got one of these enthusiastic clients this year that let me create this mosaic panel as a focal point in a garden makeover I was doing for him at the time.

Gerry's Town Garden. More photos of this garden here

For this panel I used some Golden brown Quartzite from Co. Donegal that I had left over from building the garden, with some Liscannor sandstone from Co. Clare I had laying around in the studio. These two stones make a striking contrast to each other and the mirror reflects fragmented colours and light from around the garden.   

Natural stone mosaic in Gerry's Town Garden. More photos of this garden here

In early 2012 I also took in the position on Chairman of The Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland and although this has taken up much of my free time (time usually spent writing blog posts) it has been great working with like minded people that share a passion for stone and Ireland's rich stone heritage.

One of Ireland's stunning dry stone walls. 

Working on a section of dry stone wall at the Liscannor quarry with members of the DSWAI, more about this here 

During the summer I was asked by friend and fellow DSWAI member Tom Pollard to help with a public art project he had organised at Electric Picnic, the country's premium music and arts festival. 

Dry-stone public art project at Electric Picnic 

Tom had devised a sculpture that would only use materials that could be salvaged from the grounds of the estate that the festival is held on and also show off the craft of dry-stone construction. The cantilevered seats made the piece interactive and gave people the opportunity to take a rest.

The team. DSWAI members Tom Pollard, Alex Panteleyenko, Sunny Wieler and Julia Gebel

The beautifully carved cap stone was carved by Julia from an old piece of cut stone that lay on the ground not 10m from where it now sits. 

  The rest of the structure was built from reclaimed limestone and slates from the roof of the estate that had recently been replaced. Even the timber for the seats came from a damaged tree that was cut down on the estate the year before.

2012 also saw some of my stone projects included in a internationally distributed book on stone features. I was honoured to be featured alongside many wonderful stone artists from around the globe.

2012 also saw me return to the Aran Islands for another Feile na gCloch (Festival of Stone), a wonderful weekend of Stone, Stout and banter among fellow wallers and stone enthusiasts. This is a weekend I thoroughly recommend and one I will look forward to returning to next September. More about this event in my blog post here

Feile na gCloch 2012

The rest of 2012 has been taken up working on a wonderful outdoor classroom I am building for a school in Dublin. This is still very much under construction but I will share more about this with you all once it has been completed. For now I will leave you with a sneak preview of the classroom as it looks now from one of the two entrances.

Under construction. Outdoor classroom for a school near Dublin.

 Wishing you all much success and happiness in 2013. Regards, Sunny Wieler

Chris Millers Stone Truck Project

Winter is a difficult time for a stonemason, as it is often to cold or wet to work. At this time of year you will find many twitchy stonemasons bundled up in their homes or studios like children waiting for the rain to stop so that they can go back out and play. This is, however, a great time to get inspired and conjure up interesting projects for the spring. 

This is exactly what Vermont sculptor and stonemason Chris Miller did.

Photo by Brad Bolton 1995  (read more about the stone VW here) 

Inspired by this stone VW beetle built  in a field close to Ithaca New York in 1976, Chris dreamed up his own little art project.
In the same spirit as the stone VW installation, Chris wanted to create a permanent installation that would both generate curiosity and inspire passers by.  Having always been drawn to the relics of past industry, Chris noted that every little town in Vermont is blessed with rusty old farm trucks, abandoned and overgrown right where they came to rest. A stone truck would surely make a fitting tribute to these relics of past industry.

So now the concept was set, all he needed was the finances to build it. Most stonemasons and wallers are all very creative and artistic people, the only thing that suppresses their creativity and ability to create wonderful pieces of art is getting the opportunity from a client to build something a little different. Getting a client who is willing to give you full artistic licence is a wonderful but sadly rare thing, so the creation of websites like fundit and kickstarter have done wonders for creativity and art. 
Basically these websites provide a platform for people with great ideas to attract funding from friends, fans and followers across the world. People interested in funding a creative concept 'pledge' anything from as little as $1 towards a project. The great thing about this system is that when pledging a donation, no money is taken unless the full funding goal amount is reached. 

In March of this year Chris Miller set up a kickstarter page in hope of funding his stone truck project. With a modest funding goal of $2,500, Chris put out the call for funders. And to his delight a total of 85 'stone mad' art lovers from many different corners of the world backed the project. This meant that Chris could finally get cracking on the project, so in early May, he eagerly got to work.

8 loads of quarry stone, 2 pallets of bluestone, a marble tailgate and some fine big chunks of granite went into the  construction of the truck weighing in at about 40 thousand pounds (18 ton) 

Rear window with names of donors and supporters 

So five weeks later the Stone Truck project was completed and ready to be discovered by passers by, hopefully filling them with intrigue and wonder for years to come.

A very interesting 3 minute stop motion movie of the construction.

Be sure to check out Chris' website http://chrismillerstudio.com/ to see more of his wonderful stonework and sculptures. Two of my personal favourite pieces of his work are below.

Firepit by Chris Miller. Granite top, Vermount bluestone and Marble fire insert.

Granite Catamount

Hopefully this post inspires you to go out and create your own piece of stone art, or better still, inspires you to contact your local stonemason or dry-stone waller to commission your very own piece of art. I know for sure they are eagerly awaiting your call.  

True love is set in stone

There is something very special about creating a piece of art in stone to celebrate a loved ones life. Probably the most unique and moving example of this is the recently completed Kerry Landman Memorial.

Kerry Landman Memorial Tree 

The wall is situated at Island Lake Conservation Area on Hurontario Street South and is open to the public seven days a week. The Memorial Forest Trail runs through part of the conservation area and takes you through the 'Dods and McNair Memorial Forest' where the dry stone tree can be seen on the south side at a high point on the trail. While people have been encouraged to plant trees in memory of loved ones, Eric got permission from Dods and McNair and the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to build a dry stone wall in memory of his wife Kerry instead.

This fantastic dry stone structure was build by Dry stone waller Eric Landman with the help of his eldest son Jordan, as well as many other friends and family, to commemorate the life of his beloved wife who sadly passed away last year. I cannot think of a more  fitting and beautiful way to commemorate the life of a loved one than by getting together with friends and family and building a piece of stone art together in their honour. All those involved found working on the project a great help with dealing with their grief as well as showing their love for a wonderful lady.    

The concept drawing

Ironically, it was actually Kerry who helped give Eric his dry stone walling start. For many years, the family had a dairy farm in Grand Valley, and Kerry operated Brewed Awakenings coffee shop after buying it in 2004.One day Kerry asked a regular customer at the coffee shop, Greg Wildeboer, owner of Whispering Pines Landscaping, if he needed anybody to work for him. At first, Wildeboer was unsure, until finding out it was Eric she was talking about. “She came home and told me I had a job. I said, ‘I don’t need a job.’ She said, ‘You need a change’,” Eric said, noting he enjoyed landscaping at home. “(Wildeboer) just got me into doing odd jobs for them.”

That work piqued Eric’s interest in the trade. He learned more about the Dry Stone Walling Across Canada, formerly the Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada, began taking courses and things took off from there. Since then he has done numerous walls, water features, and structures. He also has participated in festivals with the DSWAC building various structures, including the Black house on his home farm. As of 2010 Eric became the field director of the DSWAC. He is now working full time dry stone walling and continues to farm in his spare time.

 

While the main wall is made of Limestone, Eric used local rounded granite fieldstones that were found on site to represent the leaves. A lot of them had green moss on them that added to the effect of the stones looking like foliage.

Photos of the Kerry Landman Memorial courtesy of Eric Landman

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Another sculptural stone memorial I was very moved by is this piece by Australian sculptor Peter Schipperheyn titled "Asleep" Located at Mt Macedon Cemetery, Mt Macedon, Victoria, Australia.

According to Peter, this sculpure came about as a result of knowing a remarkable individual who in many ways changed his life. In 1981 I he met an extraordinary individual: Laurie Matheson, who  purchased the largest work I Peter had made by that stage. From here Peter went on to make Mr Matheson a number of other sculptures, and in the process develop a close relationship with him.

Sadly some years later Laurie became ill and passed away. 

Following his death in 1987 Peter was asked by Laurie Matheson's widow Christina to carve a figure called "Asleep" in Carrara marble as his gravestone.   

"Asleep" by Peter Schipperheyn  photo via funpic.hu 

The sculpture depicts Christina laying on her husband's grave. This wonderful sculpture is the perfect embodiment of one’s deepest emotions after the passing away of a loved one, to be there with them, to desperately hold on and to never let go.

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The Lovers Bench by Stone Art

This is a stone bench I made for a guy in Limerick who asked me to build him a stone bench with the words 'true love is set in stone' engraved in it. Built from local field limestone, the bench was a gift for his wife, as an expression of his love. Very sweet.

The Lovers Bench by Stone Art