July 2004:
Danny Howell writes ~
Tucked away in Upton Lovell, in the picturesque Wylye Valley, is Althea Wynne’s studio, where works in bronze, stone and glass, but mostly clay, are designed and sculpted, on behalf of clients both here and abroad, and even at sea!
Althea’s list of commissions and awards, over a 45 year period, include White Horses, which were cast in aluminium resin in 1994, for Cunard, to take pride of place in the Caronia restaurant on the QE2; and Chalk Columns, three nine metre high obelisks for the Bluewater Shopping Precinct in Dartford in 1999. The latter were made of plaster embedded with flints and fossils, and topped with animals, to represent the chalk quarry location where the Bluewater Park was built.
Her commissions come from a variety of sources including the internet. She advertises in External Works, the annual publication for landscape architects, and she takes part in local events such as the popular Wylye Valley Art Trail. Her work has also been exhibited widely and frequently. During the 1990s she was involved with 12 principal exhibitions, including La Quinta Sculpture Park, in Palm Springs, USA.
Althea says a car journey when she was aged 10 or 11 was the catalyst for her career. “The car was going up and down some hills,” she says, “And I imagined I was rubbing over a pebble or a rock, and I started thinking three-dimensionally.
She trained at Farnham and Hammersmith, before obtaining her degree at the Royal College of Art. “Then I got married,” she says, “And had children, and things were put on hold. Then I remarried, the children had grown up, and I returned to sculpting. I hope to carry on with it for as long as I can. The landscape around here is a trigger for ideas. I still love the downs and I go riding whenever I can. The shape of the hills is a constant inspiration.”
She says she has also been influenced by the great sculptors – “Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, the Etruscans and the Greeks.” Her work always involves spirals in some way, with a flowing nature throughout, and often features the female body. “The modern sculptors are interested in the idea behind their work, rather than the form. I’m out of tune with them because to me the form is the most important thing. If I want to cuddle it or caress it, then it is real sculpture.”
“The clients sometimes suggest what they want but more often than not it is left entirely up to me. Most of my private clients allow me that freedom. They sometimes tell me what a corner of their garden is like and fully accept what I design to go there. They are people who understand my thinking. I’ve met many wonderful people and they are a joy to work for.
She starts by making a drawing and an accurate scale model, but allows the work to evolve as it progresses. Her ceramic figures are made by the coiling technique – the clay is rolled into long “sausages’ which are then used to build the design.
Clay is her favourite medium. “With Bronze,” she says, “you have to hand your work over for someone else to complete and I’m loathe to do that; and although I am keen to work with glass because of its effect, I find it a bit frightening to handle.”
Althea works on her own, designing and sculpting, but her husband Antony Barrington-Brown helps her, not only with photographing the work, but also with lifting and moving the works in and out of the kiln, as well as loading for exhibitions and clients. This can often involve major feats of engineering, as some of the sculptures are often tall and heavy. Althea describes her husband’s assistance as “a considerable input of acumen.”
Althea also teaches at her studio, offering courses lasting three days, which give beginners and others the opportunity to learn ceramics and to take away what they have made afterwards.
If you would like to visit Althea’s studio or take part in a 3-day course, telephone 01985 850106.
Working with clay. Althea Wynne of Upton Lovell, with her latest ceramic sculpture, which is nearing completion prior to firing in the kiln.
