Barry Mason studied fine art at Reading University and at the Slade, and, on leaving London, went on to be a sculpture fellow at Cheltenham College of Art. Large works include THALES for HRH Queen Elizabeth, for the Jubilee Garden within the SAVILL GARDEN in Windsor Great Park, SPHERE at the HURLINGHAM  CLUB  in London and HALF MOON at ETON COLLEGE. He has also completed numerous commissions for private collectors and gardens, with recent commissions including sculptures for the Mayfeild Garden in Australia. 

In 2006 Barry went to his first “gong bath” at a festival devoted to sound therapy. This was a profound experience,  and he  became deeply involved in both the art and science behind this increasingly important field. In 2020, with lockdown, he had the time to start experimenting with the processes to hand forge his own gongs.

At Rodmarton he will be presenting a selection of this recent work, including large gongs, bells and bowls, all hand forged in pure elemental titanium.

 barrymasonfineart.com

Claudia's a wildlife sculptor working predominantly in sheet steel. She developed a series of templates from drawings, which she then hand cuts. Each piece is beaten and shaped, using curve faced-hammers, punches and chisels. These are then welded together, gradually creating a bird, animal or plant. Forged elements are often part of the piece, Petley then uses welding to add texture as well as to join. The sculpture is then hot-dip galvanised, acid etched and left to weather.

Claudia is showing a section of her wildlife sculpture in the gardens including Kingfishers, peacocks, fish and dragonflies. See them dotted throughout the garden and flower beds.

https://www.metalsmiths.co.uk/

Dan Rawlings installation "Delays expected" was first presented by the Saatchi gallery at the RHS Chelsea flower show in 2021. 

The work was conceived as a commentary on environmental policy being patched over and ignored, which is unfortunately just as relevant to us today.

The installation features a work van set in an eerily deserted patch where human work has stopped, and nature has reclaimed its position.

Dan Rawlings is a contemporary British artist born in Watford in 1979. He is known for his large-scale installations and intricate plasma-cut metal works. A sympathy for discarded objects and an admiration for nature’s resilience inspire him to create visions of a future where man’s impact is slowly reclaimed by nature. Notable recent projects include: ‘Future Returns’, a plasma-cut reclaimed oil tanker housed inside a 19thcentury church in Lincolnshire’s 20-21 Art centre, and ‘Short Haul’, an elaborately hand cut light aircraft shown at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin.

www.everyact.co.uk

Jon loves how every touch to clay leaves its mark and aspires to make fired, ceramic objects that encourage the same, sensory notion of engagement. His ceramics are designed to be touched, handled and often played in a surprising and unconventional way.

Jon Williams is showing his collection of terracotta apples, each fruit is constructed from thrown sections made on the potter’s wheel and hand decorated in coloured slips. The apples are one of a kind and designed to be outside sculpture.

The individual flowers are constructed from thrown components made on the potter’s wheel using red earthenware clay. They have been decorated with vitreous. Each bloom is one off and totally unique!

Jon has collaborated with his wife Sarah Monk, where they offer creative workshops and short courses in pottery at their idyllic studio set in the grounds of Eastnor Castle Estate.

jonwilliamspottery.co.uk

Studio Potter

Judith has followed her passion for working with clay for over 25 years. She originally trained as a teacher and then as a potter on the Harrow Studio Pottery course in 1983.

Since then, she has worked as a pottery technician and manager and has been running her own business since 1995.

During this time, she has applied her skills in many directions. She has worked teaching pottery in a Young Offenders Institution; she has helped groups of pupils to create both indoor and outdoor installations, (including decorative fountains, a phoenix mosaic and life size figures dancing across walls); she has made domestic and decorative pottery that has been sold through various galleries. She is also a trained mediator and has worked with neighbour disputes and has assisted in training new mediators. Her largest ceramic piece was helping to build an adobe (mixed clay and soil) house in the desert.

Judith has always looked for development and change in her work. Her current pots show her enjoyment for the interplay of strong clear lines and edges, and she is experimenting with this interaction to create pots that 'own' their space.

https://www.judithhobbs.com/

Susan's baskets and sculptures are woven mainly from willow and hedgerow materials. She aims to construct strong comfortable baskets and forms that sit reassuringly in their surroundings. Susan began weaving over twenty years ago and has become increasingly interested in shape and form.

In 2011 Susan Early completed a City and Guilds diploma in Creative Basketry which gave her a great insight into many methods of working. In 2012 she was awarded The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship and spent two weeks studying with Master Basket Maker David Drew in France.

Susan Early is showing some basketry lanterns and structures in the garden, her work is both functional and beautiful. Spot them dotted and hung around the garden.