Chelsea Flower Show preparation

The shed is due tomorrow! I have cleared my studio space, swept and polished, well not with polish, but it is tidy. Things are feeling like they are slotting into place now with most of my research complete it is now time to start making sculptures and getting together all the components of the stand for Chelsea 2011.

This week’s plans are Shed, Floor and Sculpture.

Floor - I had thought long and hard about what should be on the floor of my stand, my ideas were to ensure it was a sustainable product, something new or different from some of the usual floor coverings, something easy to transport if possible and within my tiny budget. A difficult brief if ever there was one, but you will have to wait until tomorrow when I will reveal the chosen product upon which my new sculptures will sit.

Shed - My lovely Dad has once again offered to help build my shed with me in preparation for the event, it will need to house all my brochures, bag, coat, watering can and of course my kettle for a brew. Can’t wait for it to arrive and to get building, painting and decorating it.

Sculpture - The first of the Fallen Egg sculptures is going to be created this week which is going off to Oxfordshire in a few weeks for an exhibition at a specialist plant nursery owned by a Chelsea Gold winning Garden Designer. More info to follow

Well I have a very busy week ahead of me, check out the updates soon.

Evening Pavilions @ Bolsover Castle

On Saturday 26th February 2011, over 500 people attended Evening Pavilion’s at Bolsover Castle to see the Giant Sphere Sculptures as part of the lantern parade.

It was a great night, even with a blustery wind blowing, the lanterns looked amazing around the castle grounds led by a collection of drummers beating out a rhythm for everyone to follow. The sphere sculptures were dressed with strings of light wire that flowed over the surface of the woven spheres and travelled within the branches of the overhanging tree branches. 

To give the evening a magical feel a single musician playing a bagpipe appeared from within the castle ruins, walking slowly through the castle grounds the sounds travelled and echoed around the grounds. 

The grand finale was a fire sculpture which when lit depicted the castle. It has been an interesting project to be a part of, and one that has offered many new collaborations with artists and community groups. 

Bolsover Castle will play host to the giant sphere sculptures until the end of April, from then they will be shown within a variety of exhibitions including Fresh Air 2011 and Sculpture In The Sanctuary.

Shed for Chelsea

As you may already know my shed for last years Chelsea Flower Show was donated to a local sheltered housing scheme for the elderly, so the hunt has been on for a new shed for my 2011 show plot.

But, this year my budget is drastically reduced so were possible it has been a case of many hours of research to find the best product at the best price. The idea of having a shed on my plot is mainly to ensure a tidy appearance is kept at all times, a place to hide my belongings and somewhere to shelter from the weather.

After a long search and re-working my budget, I found what I was looking for from Shire Garden Buildings, a Tall Store, it is so cute! It should store everything I need but me, so I have opted for a cream coloured parasol to keep me sheltered from the weather.

So the order has been placed and I am eagerly awaiting the delivery, I have got my screwdriver, hammer and paint at the ready to give it a make over, fit in some shelves and make it look all pretty. 

That’s one thing I can now cross of my list of things to do.

Chelsea Flower Show 2011

Yippee!! my allocation for Chelsea has arrived and the space I have been offered is amazing, outside the pavilion and near the main entrance. I am over the moon!

After the initial shock has worn off, it has become a whirlwind of ideas, problem solving, budget and accommodation.

Watch this space for updates on this years journey, yippee!!! 

Heanor update

The sculpture making is underway, with the planning permission in and all system go it’s a very exciting time.

The metal work is being created by local firm HTF Stainless whom I have been working very closely with over the last six months to get the design, size, shape and materials for the sculpture looking just right. One of the things I like about working with these guys is seeing your design inputted in a design program on the computer and then being able to take a virtual walk around, zoom in to it, even look at the sculpture from above. Alterations to the sculpture seem almost instant and much easier to visualise your thoughts and ideas. Watch this space for updates, images and more.

The stone plinth from Stancliff Stone, is also being sourced locally from a Derbyshire quarry in the Hope Valley, the stone will be Derbyshire Sandstone, which is a lovely rich buff colour with a soft tactile texture. It will feature natural faces on the sides to enhance the naturalness of the material. The only visible alteration to the stone will be a single cut to the top to ensure the metal sculpture can sit upon it. I so enjoyed my visit to the quarry last year taking a look at all the huge sections of stone and it was then that I came across the section that is going to be used for the sculpture, it had a great natural face to all sides with very little signs of the quarrying process and was the perfect size. After speaking to the foreman, he informed me that very few sections come from the quarry without cut marks, so I was very lucky to find the section of stone that I needed.

The site for the sculpture in Heanor is being prepared with new paving going in as I type, every time I drive past I get a smile appear on my face knowing that soon I will be placing my sculpture there.