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THE UPTON CASTLE SUMMER EXHIBITION OF 2024

Coeden: Amidst the trees

30th June –15th September 2024
Everyday 10am-4.30pm (Last Entry)

Upton Castle Gardens in Pembrokeshire presents a new exhibition for summer 2024. “COEDEN”: Amidst the Trees”, a diverse exhibition of contemporary sculpture and art exploring the complex relationship between trees and their part in our existence and imagery. From the 30th June- 15th September. The group exhibition showcasing the work of some of Britain’s most talented artists working today including work by Royal Society of Sculptors artists Dilys Jackson MRSS, Rebecca Newnham FRSS, Harvey Hood FRSS and Ros Burgin MRSS.

This years Summer Exhibition, titled Coeden - meaning singular tree in Welsh, invites visitors to follow the sculpture trail through the trees of the Arboretum and Celtic Rainforest, where fungi, ferns and lichen flourish, discovering works of art placed amid the towering specimen trees. In the listed historic gardens that immediately surround the medieval Castle visitors will come across sculptures nestled in flowerbeds and on expansive lawns. A beautiful and inspiring backdrop to explore the entangled relationship between trees and humans, with each work offering the artist’s interpretation of the natural world.

In contemplative works across different media the 11 artists are featured to shine a light on the complicated relationship of trees and woodland and our own fate. As the destruction of the world’s forests accelerates with human interventions James Doran- Webb’s monumental sculptures made of decades old Malave driftwood, are an excellent example. This majestic tree was once prolific through Asia and is now an endangered species. As part of his re forestation project called ‘Eighty Thousand Trees’, a seedling is planted in the deforested areas of Cebu, Philippines for every kilo of driftwood collected from the shoreline and riverbeds.

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Contact Imogen Annan: imogen@uptoncastle.com (+44)07446 888113

Upton Castle Long Gallery

The Long Gallery, accessible through the main castle doors and seldom open to the public feature rugged landscape paintings by Welsh artist Gwyn Roberts and vessels by Neil Wilkin. Wilkin's larger glass sculptures are also displayed throughout the landscape. Additionally, premiered at Upton Castle, the mesmerizing ‘Fractal Tree’ is projected onto the medieval Chapel interior wall - an immersive and interactive work by Sarah Beauclerk, capturing the delicate balance of growth and decay.

Recognized as an RHS Partner Garden, Upton Castle Gardens welcomes thousands of visitors annually from April to October. Following the success of the inaugural sculpture tail and exhibition in 2023, this year's Upton Castle Summer Exhibition focuses on exploring humanity's complex relationship with the natural world.

BIOGRAPHIES

HARVEY HOOD FRSS

Born 1946 Staffordshire. England and studied at the Royal College of Art. London. Head of Sculpture at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff until 2000. Since 2000 he has concentrated on making his own work and running Berllanderi Sculpture Workshop. He has lectured in Europe, North America and India and attended many International Symposiums. He has made several Public Commissions including ‘Archform’ at Newport Railway Station and ‘The Celtic Ring’ in Cardiff Bay.The most recent publication of his work is in ‘Modern British Sculpture’ by Guy Portello.

Harvey Hood
Heavy Petal
Dilys Jackson MRSS 'Spiked Pollen Form III'

DILYS JACKSON MRSS

Artist in bronze, wood and stone, and teacher, born in Badulla, Ceylon, she studied at Slade School of Fine Art, 1956–60, and Swansea College of Art, 1961–2, obtaining her master’s degree in fine art from South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Cardiff, where she lived, 1987–9. Jackson was art instructor at Coed Ffranc Youth Centre in south Wales, 1965–6; was teacher/head teacher, special schools, for South Glamorgan Education Authority, 1966–92; from 1994 being environmental artist, Ogwr Groundwork Trust, Ogmore Valley. Among her commissions was the Stackpole Centre Sight Garden, Pembroke, 1993. War and landscape were leading themes in Jackson’s works, which were shown in many group exhibitions, including Young Contemporaries, 1960; Pictures for Welsh Schools, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, 1975; All Women Work 88, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, 1988; Festival Exhibition 91, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, 1991; and Oriel Contemporary Art, 1996.

Had a solo show at Galleri Brinken, Stockholm, 1960, later ones including St David’s Hall, Cardiff, 1995. Galleri Brinken, Coleg Harlech in Harlech, Vaughan College in Leicester and Mid-Glamorgan Education Authority hold examples. Her work is in the collections of the National Museum and Gallery of Wales and the National Library of Wales.

Dilys Jackson

REBECCA NEWNHAM MA(RCA) FRSS

Glass plays a significant role in Rebecca Newnham's work. The sculpture is concerned with the natural and botanical world and scientific ideas about how it functions. Following the pandemic, this feels even more urgent to communicate because we sometimes take it for granted, nature and our understanding of how it works demands respect and appreciation.

The glass skin is painted with glass enamel and then fired to make permanent. The colours cannot fade as they become intrinsic. The surface is then cut up and collaged, literally wrapping the painting around curved forms, playing with pixels of the image and facets of refracted light.

The structure of sculptures for the interior are created in timber and for exterior works since 2017, a durable system which incorporates stainless steel with a marble dust render, which is kinder to the environment than alternatives.

Rebecca Newnham
Soar
Kinetic I by Ivan Black

IVAN BLACK

An award-winning British sculptor, born in London in 1972 and has lived and worked in Pembrokeshire for many years. He began making sculptures at an early age, motion quickly becoming central to his work, adding another dimension of complexity and interest to his experiments. He spent his early working life acquiring multi-disciplinary skills in the pursuit of the means to realise his ideas.

Ivan’s sculptures use his own unique methodology to create forms that mutate upon the introduction of energy. The repetition of identical elements is a recurrent theme in his work, by this means he builds complex fluid structures. Each piece is a section of a potentially continuous sequence, generated by the application of systematic rules to his geometry. Ivan takes inspiration for his designs from iconic natural geometry, combining mathematical concepts and the pioneering spirit of British engineering to create a synergy between Science, Art and Technology. His meticulously engineered and seamlessly integrated mechanisms are central to the behaviour and appeal of his work. Tending towards the minimalist in design, the movement is allowed to take centre stage.

Awards: Cottesloe Acquisition Award for ‘Golden Section’ Darc Awards, best decorative pendant/chandelier for ‘Nebula’

Commissions: Diorama-Adobe Salt Lake City, Parabola-Nobu Hotel, Portland Square, London Kinetic Symmetry- Royal Botanic Gardens, Ontario, Asklepian-Addenbrookes Hospital.

Ivan Black

JAMES DORAN-WEBB

Born in Devon in 1969, James currently lives and works in Cebu in the Philippines where his lifelong obsession for working with wood and a fascination with the animal form led to the creation of his driftwood sculptures, transforming long dead wood, gathered from the rivers and shoreline, into works with movement and vitality. Animating the inanimate, a concept at the heart of his work.

The process of creating his sculptures starts with an in-depth study of both the animal’s movement patterns and anatomy before he moves on to creating the armature of recycled stainless steel and finally finding the perfect pieces of reclaimed drift wood that bring the pieces to life.

A regular exhibitor at RHS Chelsea flower show his installations garner as much attention as the surrounding show gardens. James’ work can be found in private collections across the globe and in some of the world’s best known Botanical Gardens. His largest installation to date is ‘A Family of Giraffes’ on the roof of the Botanic Garden at Beijing Expo 2019. The Gardens in the Bay, Singapore have amassed a collection of over 48 pieces of his work.

James Doran Webb
Ascent
The Fractal Tree

SARAH BEAUCLERK

Originally trained as a bespoke furniture designer in Nottingham. Her first concept piece, Chichi the Rocking Piano, was launched at Designersblock in London in 2007 and, following a 3-year tour, named one of 10 best piano re-designs by The Guardian. Subsequent pieces include Dorothy and Bramwell miniatures (exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art Milan), The Restoration Throne (shown at the Milan Museum of Science and Technology) and Hello Stranger, a story-table created for a six-month exhibition at Nhow Milano. A theme of exploring ways for humanity to live in harmony with and as part of Nature can be followed throughout her work. After many years of adventures working around the world with some of today's most exciting pioneers and lecturing as far afield as the National Academy of Fine Art in China, a move to Wales led Sarah to explore creative approaches to improving wellbeing. Her latest project involves creating immersive experiences for people with extreme healthcare needs including mental health and palliative and dementia care patients and unpaid carers. She currently lives close to Upton Castle with her husband, writer Charles Beauclerk, daughter Thea and collie dog Gwir.

Sarah Beauclerk

NEIL WILKIN

Neil Wilkin lives and works in Pembrokeshire. His passion for glassblowing and an enduring love of landscape and what forms it, have been the driving forces behind a lifetime of making. This deep connection to the natural world is central to his work.

He uses glass and the processes that form it to explore, celebrate and reflect the richness and extraordinary diversity around him. The colours he uses, hard and soft, absorbing and transmitting light, inform his work both physically and aesthetically.

In recent years Neil has harnessed the optical qualities of solid glass in combination with the fluid richness of hot glass to explore new perspectives. He fabricates stainless steel to create larger, site specific installations, both indoor and outdoor.

Neil’s work is found in public and private collections around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Hepworth Wakefield and Crafts Council Collection in the U.K.

Neil Wilkin
Dew Drops by Neil Wilkin
Offshore by Ros Burgin

ROS BURGIN MRSS

Ros Burgin became a professional artist not simply because of a love of sculpture but because of a compulsion to express strong feelings about sustainability, environment and women’s role in society. The first two areas are addressed by the use of the found object and the latter by content and context.

Since graduating in 2002 from University for the Creative Arts, her work has been exhibited throughout the United Kingdom and is in private collections in the United Kingdom, Holland, France and the United States.

Ros Burgin

GIDEON PETERSEN

Born in Wales in 1971 and studied Sculpture at Wimbledon School of Art working in a variety of materials and techniques. After graduating he worked for various artists including Sir Antony Caro making sculpture for galleries and scenic art companies. In 1997 he returned to Wales to focus on his own work using different types of metal and often incorporating various elements such as glass, stone and wood. Much of his inspiration comes from nature and the Welsh landscape. His Celtic roots and have a heavy influence as well as the material itself. Public art commissions are now the main body of his work including ‘who goes there’ Sculpture for Caerphilly Castle and ‘King Edward I’ both commissioned by Cadw. He is currently working on a monumental ‘Seahorse’ for the new Fishgaurd and Goodwick Art trails commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council.

Gideon Petersen
The Flower Of Life
Paintings on Display in the Long Gallery by Gwyn Roberts

GWYN ROBERTS

Gwyn was born in 1953 in the Conwy Valley, North Wales, in the stunningly beautiful Snowdonia National Park. From an early age, his love for his surroundings was very apparent and he spent his spare time walking, climbing and immersing himself in the beauty that surrounded him. He was educated at Llanrwst Grammar School and then studied Fine Art at Norwich School of Art and Cardiff College of Art during the 1970s. During the 1980s, Gwyn produced a series of successful fine art screen prints and detailed meticulous paintings of still life and landscapes and he exhibited his work widely in galleries throughout England and Wales.

Gwyn Roberts

ROBERTA MASON

A believer in “the fundamental interconnectedness of all things” as coined by Douglas Adams. It’s a humorous truth in a world where global urbanisation has moved many of us away from our deep connections with nature. With deep connection - comes a sense of the value and importance of all we are connected to. I feel this most strongly when in or around the sea – an extraordinary otherworld. My work is inspired by my underwater experiences, the language of bubbles and the amazing world of strange and wonderful marine creatures. I aim to celebrate them and their alien beauty with my work whilst bringing attention to the vital roles they often play in sustaining our ocean ecosystems. Through my work, I want to share my passion and hope that, in the words of Rachel Carson, “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

The creation of my work involves using traditional hot glass techniques, in non-traditional, environmentally sustainable ways, and repurposing objects and materials to create unique, sculptural work. Hot glass is the perfect vehicle as it’s transparency and movement capture a snapshot of life in a way few materials can.

My journey into art has come via science and technology. I received my MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art in 2018 and have exhibited internationally with work in private collections in Australia, China, Europe, the UK and the United States. I have recently moved to west Wales and joined forces with another glassmaker to establish an environmentally sustainable, carbon friendly studio.

Roberta Mason
'Slime Molds' by Roberta Mason

Our 2023 Exhibition

Upton Castle Gardens were delighted to host their inaugural Summer Exhibition, celebrating exquisite craftmanship and artistry and featuring work by four of Britain’s leading contemporary Sculptors- James Doran Webb, Ivan Black, Gideon Peterson and Neil Wilkin, as well as paintings by Casper Beck.

THE UPTON CASTLE SUMMER 2023 EXHIBITION
Arboretum sculptures