Blog by Peter Baird
Saturday 11th September turned out a lot better than the weather people predicted! This was a blessing for the close to 100 visitors to The Turrill Sculpture Garden who came to enjoy sculpture demonstrations by Louise Allison and Chris Beckett. Some came as part of the Oxford Preservation Trust Open Doors weekend, on the trail of Oxford’s green spaces and heritage sites, while others were local residents simply making the most of the late summer sunshine with their children.
What they all enjoyed was engaging with Chris and Louise, who gladly talked through the process of fusing bottle glass and making a head out of clay respectively.
Through the course of the day, Louise formed the head of a man, using photo references, and it was intriguing to watch how a few nips and flourishes could change the ethnicity of the figure and, as Louise will admit, just how difficult it is to sculpt a smile!
Chris laid out a table full of bits of blue bottle glass, that made a fascinating tableau in its own right, and explained how she makes her distinctive garden pieces. Her approach to her art and the creative process was truly absorbing.
The third sculptor on display in the current show, David Williams was sadly unavailable for Saturday’s open doors, but his presence was very much felt as his stunning stone carvings formed a suitable backdrop to the demonstration spaces.
The current show, Trilogy, has just 1 more week to run, so if you have not yet had the opportunity to visit and see, and perhaps buy, Chris, Louise and David’s beautiful works… time is running out!
