emotional figure ED RUST

Transcription

1 emotional figure ED RUST

2 Introduction Ed Rust is a Yorkshire-based British sculptor who constructs spindle-like bronzes which give a whimsical slant to sporting and other outdoor pursuits such as cycling and dog walking. Ed s primary concern is to represent animated rather than static figures, and he achieves this by exploring the ideas of proportion, stretching and manipulating parts of the sculpture into extreme positions until they seem to be mid movement. sprinting down the wing or being pulled almost off your feet by an overenthusiastic dog. As Ed says, My aim is to make sculptures that will touch people, that will have some kind of meaning for them that s actually greater than the bronze figures themselves. Despite their exaggerated lines and humorous attitudes, these quirky figures touch people by tapping into the shared experience of We are thrilled to introduce this outstanding collection of Ed s sculpture into our summer portfolio.

3 Sealed with a Kiss Bronze Sculpture, Limited Edition of 195, 21 x17, 895

4 I ve been very lucky with just about everything I ve dabbled in over the years, but I realise now that hidden deep down there was always this nagging desire to get back to what I really wanted to be a proper artist.

5 Stepping Out Bronze Sculpture, Limited Edition of 195, 13 x17, 695

6 Q&A Ed s work is so distinctive that it can be recongnised at a glance. We thought it would be fascinating to find out where and how his unique style originated, so we caught up with Ed and asked him a few questions. What was your first artistic success? At the age of nine I won a Brooke Bond National Schools Award for Art. I was called up on stage in front of the whole school to receive my prize a five pounds book token a massive amount of money back in those days. I bought art books, Paul Klee, El Greco (weird choices really for a nine year old) and, more importantly, a History of Sculpture book. It was in that sculpture book that I saw my first pieces by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. I was sold. Little did I know then that Hepworth and Moore were both born a short bus ride away from where I lived. From then on I wanted to be an artist... Did you study art? I went to grammar school and we had a fantastic art teacher, Colin Saxton. He did beautiful abstract paintings and encouraged everybody to be creative and break the rules. It was at this point that I started visiting galleries and read every book I could get my hands on in the local library about abstract art and became aware of other great sculptors...i loved their work...abstract figurative...lynn Chadwick, Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Elizabeth Frink. I moved on to Batley Art College which was a revelation. After the strict grammar school it was like a holiday camp with paint and charcoal... great fun. continued >>

7 Q&A Did you start out as a sculptor or did you try your hand at other things first? I had my first trip down to St. Ives in Cornwall and visited Trewyn, Barbara Hepworth s house/studio and gardens. I was totally amazed. It felt like this was what I d wanted to do all my life but I d kept putting it off. I dabbled in everything, you name it, from song writing to acting to working in radio and eventually TV. I started in local radio and after two years was signed up by BBC Radio 2 to present my own weekend music programmes. I did that for three years down in London at Broadcasting House. I bought my own video camera in the very early days of video and made short arty films and this eventually led to a job as a freelance news and sport cameraman with Yorkshire TV in Leeds. Fortuitously, it was at this time that the Yorkshire Sculpture Park really took off big time. I did some filming there for a news item about the big plans to expand the gallery and exhibits. It became somewhere I could visit once or twice a week as it was only just down the road from where I lived. That s when Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth came back on the scene. I loved their larger works and something nagged at me that maybe that was what I really wanted to do.

8 Making the Break Bronze Sculpture, Limited Edition of 195, 10 x18, 595

9 Go for Goal Bronze Sculpture, Limited Edition of 195, 14 x13, 595

10 I just sat there in the garden and knew I had to make something, anything. I began sculpting outdoors - Hepworth inspired pieces.

11 Hold Tight Bronze Sculpture, Limited Edition of 195, 19 x27, 595

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