Will Spankie

Artist Statement

Concepts I undertake public and private commissions for sculpture, garden ornament and lettering - including house signs, commemorative plaques, memorials and head stones. The ideas behind my sculptural work are often taken from nature and then abstracted or given greater symmetry to create interest and harmony. Much of my work is influenced by my interests in the natural world, conservation and archaeology. Other pieces have an historical element to them, either on a personal level or as part of the commissioning process with the client. Much of my sculpture has been made in local limestones because of their availability and "carvability". More recently I have been experimenting with different stone which has special resonance to a client or location. I have also been using colour, texture and new carving techniques to produce my work. Influences My work is principally influenced by organic forms, materials and the environment. I am interested in the geometric structures, patterns, symmetry and proportions found both in nature and the unfolding of numbers in space. I particularly admire the work of other carvers such as David Nash and Peter Randall-Page and lettering of David Kindersley, Tom Perkins and Eric Gill. Career path I attended Sir John Cass and Central St Martin's Colleges of Art in London in the early 1990s. Since then I have done specialist carving and lettering courses run by Mike Leman and John Skelton and worked for a local conservation and restoration stonemasonry firm. I have undertaken training in art therapy at Goldsmiths College and working with art with people in the criminal justice system. I now teach stone carving and lettercutting techniques to a variety of groups including schools, pupil referral units, adult education colleges and prisons. Public commissions include sculpture for the Old Manor hospital in Salisbury, seating for Moulescoomb Primary school, Brighton and a sculptural sundial and seating for Havant Council at Eastoke Corner, Hayling Island. Lettering commissions include commemorative plaques for the re-opening of The Brighton Dome by HRH the Princess Royal; the opening of the Phoenix Estate by the Mayor of Brighton and memorial lettering in Romeland Gardens, St Albans Cathedral. I undertook a residency at Park Wood, Hailsham, where I carved sculptural seating on-site for East Sussex County Council Countryside Management Services. I exhibit my work regularly at Garden Architecture in Fulham, Fiveways artist group, Brighton and the Garden Gallery, Stockbridge, Hants .