Jo Burton Sculptor and teacher of woodcarving
Exhibiting at Castle Park Arts Centre, Frodsham, WA6 6SE : 8.11.24 – 21.12.24
I will be at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum with Oxton Art Fair on 16th and 17th November this year I am really looking forwards to it. A lovely event, lots of fabulous artists and plenty of potential Christmas presents.
I have some new work that I will be taking. Drop in and join us on Saturday or Sunday.
More information can be found at www.oxtonartfair.co.uk
This Summer I am taking part in Wirral MakeFest on 1st June at the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum and Wirral Open Studio Tour on 8th-9th June from my workshop in Heswall. The exciting news is that I have a new studio arriving this Wednesday and hope to have it set up intime for WOST, so I am really busy with preparations. I would love you to call by and see the studio and new pieces of work. Details of locations can be found in the WOST brochure or online at wirralarts.com and for Make Fest at wirralmakefest.org
I have carved a number of pieces this year including Gaia, a swirling form of interacting shapes creating balance and harmony, and my ‘Seaweed Ladies’, abstracted human forms that give every appearance of communicating with one another. I have continued my experiments with mobius strips in spalted beech.
I have also submitted work to exhibit at the Liverpool Art Fair, as part of Affordable Art and am approaching a couple of new shops to stock my work – exciting times. More to follow on this soon.
The five Artists in Residence at the University of Chester have held an exhibition at CASC in the Grosvenor Precinct in Chester which has now come to and end. The pieces that I was exhibiting are now back at my studio and are available for sale.
I had four pieces in the exhibition which together are called ‘What Lies Beneath’ and ask the question do we care enough? Do we care enough to do anything about it?
The faceless mass of refugees,
In the fading sands of time,
How easily we forget them,
When they are not yours or mine.
Reciprocity 1 and 2
Dreamer
Innominate
I have done a number of commissions over the years. It is a very different process to carving for an exhibition of carving because I have an idea that I want to develop and explore. It starts when I am approached and asked if I will carve a specific form or a particular piece of wood.
My favourite was a beautiful piece of wood from the branch of a tree that the customers mother had been very fond of. The wood had been found in the attic recently, could I make anything from it. We looked at many pieces of sculpture to help me understand the customers likes and dislikes.
I then made a plastercine maquette of an abstract sculpture based on the shape of the wood and thinking about the relationship between the customer and the mother. I invited the customer to come and view it and discuss the details and some possible options and the limitations and characteristics of the wood. I gave the customer a quote and time to think about the project.
Once all was agreed and a 50% deposit paid I started to carve the form, this was very daunting. It was a unique piece of wood that I could not replace if anything went wrong. When I am doing a commission there is the additional pressure of meeting the customers expectations. I try to manage this carefully by making a maquette and discussing aspects of the sculpture in advance. You cannot be sure of exactly what you will find inside a piece of wood in terms of cracks and imperfections that might alter the course of a carving. I invited the customer in a couple of times to see the carving as it progressed and to discuss details of the finishing process.
Once completed, oiled and waxed the commission was ready for its final viewing, payment and then to go to its new home. So far customers have loved the work I have produced for them, and for me a great sense of relief of completing a commission successfully.
I have recently finished a new piece in spalted beech called Eternal Love. A bit tricky to carve as beech is quite hard to carve and the spalting makes the grain a bit unpredictable However the beautiful grain rally suits and abstract piece like this.
Spalting is caused by fungi growing in the living tree or after it has died and causes unique colouration and patterns in the wood. After carving it was sealed with two coats of Danish oil and finished with bees wax.
Eternal Love is a Mobius strip which is basically a strip which has been formed into a loop after giving one end a half twist. This creates a form which has one continuous side and one continuous edge, an infinite loop. It is a symbol of infinity, eternity and unity where two sides become one intertwined form.
I have been invited to take part in an exhibition at Oakmere in Cheshire this year and so I am preparing some new carvings for this and other exhibitions. Here are the first two. More to follow soon.
‘Ocean Wave’ is now completed and has been selected to take part in the open exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery from 5th-29th April.
I have nearly completed a piece in tulip wood called ‘Reawakening’. It just needs its final coat of wax and the plinth finishing.
My last few posts have been about carving a wave form from the start of an idea, making it in plastercine, carving it in lime and applying oil and wax to finish. I have called the piece Ocean Wave. I guess it will evoke different memories for different people. For me the Mobius strip at the centre reminds me of the welling strength of the sea when we went surfing as children, and sitting listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves on the shore.
Once the Wave Form had been smoothed I used an old T shirt to apply a coat of Danish oil and turps. The turps thins the oil so that it sinks into the surface of the wood, nourishing it and sealing it as it dries. It takes 2-3 days to dry depending on the temperature. Then a second coat was applied. a thin coat that completed sealing the work, but not so thick that it becomes shiny. Again this is left for 2-3 days to dry. Finally I applied a coat of bees wax (not a synthetic wax) and buff it up to give a silky smooth tactile finish.
Only when oil and wax have been applied can you see the depth of colour and the grain which are enhanced by the oil.
Now what to call it?
Once the carving is fully formed the process of smoothing starts. This often takes me nearly as long as the actual carving. It starts by using a variety of chisels to gently take off the uneven surface from the whole carving. Whist I do this I check for bumps to remove and sharpen and smooth the edges. This is followed by using a variety of scrapers with different curves to create a really smooth surface. As this happens my eye is drawn to any irregularities that still need correcting. I do this over a few days as each time I look I see a new slight imperfection that needs correcting. I look at pieces from all angles and often use touch to check the smoothness and regularity of the carving.
Seeing the smooth shape is very satisfying the the actual process is really time consuming, but necessary if a smooth shape is desired rather than a chisel finish.
All that is left is the application of Danish oil and bees wax.
Once the basic form has been established I then continue carving. I improved the wave on the right making it more delicate and carving up under the wave. The left side then had to be balanced making the form swing towards the front and a smaller wave lifting at the left side from underneath. the central double spiral then needed opening up and defining. This is where the plastercine model comes into its own as the edges of the spiral at the front need to match up with the edges at the back correctly to form a Mobius strip (it is really easy to get them wrong and form a figure of eight). I increased the concave curve of the inner surfaces to emphasise the sharpness and clarity of the edges as they pass through the centre.
This process takes me a number of days to allow time for the carving and to take time to stop and think about the form. To bring a fresh eye to it and check the balance and flow, and to check the spirals are even smooth curves. At this point the form is nearly complete but has not been smoothed.