Sculpture trail at Ventnor
Botanic Gardens:
Frances Doherty
DISCOVERING sculpture in among plants
and trees is one of the most delightful ways
of enjoying art, and this summer Ventnor
Botanic Gardens is hosting a remarkable
sculpture trail by ceramicist Frances
Doherty.
Frances visited the gardens at Ventnor
frequently over 18 months, detailing the tiny
details in seeds and pods as they form. “Life
Cycle” is the collection of sculptures based
on these forms.
“Seedpods when scaled up so that we
can really see them are spectacular,” says
Frances. “Their forms are made up of
pure mathematics, nothing about them is
random.”
All the pieces are in ceramic, which
combines strength with vulnerability –
attributes which perfectly mirror a plant.
BREAKING NEWS life
FOREWORD
“Life Cycle”, 20th June - 13th September.
Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Undercliff Drive,
Ventnor PO38 1UL. Tel 01983 855397
Her Teasle Head conveys the softness of
a living thing with the teasle’s inherent
structure. Her Towering Bells, built of
regularly shaped and arranged bells, has
the natural tilt of a bluebell head, so its
regularity is countered by a suggestion of
movement. The iridescent glazes give a
living glow to the works.
The exhibition has been organised by
Philip le May at the Old Studio Gallery in
Ventnor, with the Friends of Ventnor Botanic
Gardens, and is supported by the Finnis
Scott Foundation. All sales and commissions
will be handled by The Old Studio, 48
High St Ventnor. Tel: 01983 853824 www.
theoldstudio.co.uk
A brochure, with stickers for each
sculpture, is available for £1 (50p goes to
the Friends Society).
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