SCULPTORS FOR 2008

Welcome to our Sculptors page! Let us introduce you to the people who will be producing work this year. As you know this year’s theme will be about saving Planet Earth - and how the sensible disposal of waste is all part of the battle. An impressive line up of Welsh and English sculptors will interpret the theme either by working with recyclable material such as scrap metal, or carving in wood to reflect the theme.

Ant Beetlestone was born in 1974 and lives in Gloucestershire.  He is a painter and medal maker as well as a sculptor.  Ant studied art, at the Worcester College of Art, and he studied sculpture at the Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, becoming ‘Visiting Artist’ there in 2004.  He has taught sculpture and stone carving at the Art Academy, London.  Ant has taken part in numerous exhibitions in the U.K.  Public commissions include works in
Stoke-on-Trent City Centre and Stourbridge.  He has also worked with schools in the Midlands and the South West.  Further details may be gained from the website www.antbeetlestone.com.  Ant’s project for Caerleon will be a sculpture of a ‘Trojan Horse’, from recycled bicycle parts.

Dave Johnson lives in Gloucestershire and is making a return visit to Caerleon, having taken part in the 2003 and 2004 symposia.  He is a founder member of both The British Woodcarvers’ Association and also the ‘Sculptree Team’ which operates each year at Westonbirt Arboretum.  He has given wood carving exhibitions at many international shows.  Whilst much of Dave’s work is on private property, public exhibits may be viewed at Richmond Park in London, Lower Brockhampton House, Kelmarsh Hall and Cotswold Water Parks.  Further details of Dave’s portfolio may be viewed at the website www.djsculptor.co.uk  Dave often works with damaged wood and for Caerleon, he will be creating a wooden sculpture on an environmental theme entitled ‘a long time passing’.

Roger (Roj) Williams was born in 1965 and lives in Shropshire.  He originally worked on the family farm after leaving school, before travelling and working in various countries for ten years.  He studied welding on his return to the U.K. and now operates from his own workshop.  One of Roger’s sculptural themes is the depiction of nature and animals using recycled metals.  Roger also works with schools and colleges, including teaching hand tools and general metal working skills to ‘at risk’ teenagers.  For Caerleon, Roger plans to create a plant from recycled metal thereby addressing both aspects of our environmental theme.  

Tom Harvey was born in 1974, and lives in Gloucestershire.  He studied fine art at De Montfort University.  Tom now undertakes both public and private commissions, often utilising existing standing timber.  He also works on community projects such as teaching safe chisel and carving techniques (not involving chainsaws!).  He has participated in many symposia, including the ‘Cwmaman Sculpture Symposium’ in 2007, and also for the past four years in ‘Sculptree’ at Westonbirt Arboretum. For Caerleon, Tom proposes a sculpture in wood of a fox with a dustbin, an example of ‘nature’s recycling’ in an urban environment

Sonya Dawn Flewitt (Dawny Tootes) was born in 1967 and now lives in Pembrokeshire.  She studied Fine Art at the Wirral Metropolitan College and also at NEWI (The North Wales Institute).  Dawn has exhibited widely in the U.K. and Europe and details and examples of her work may be viewed on the website www.sonyadawnflewitt.co.uk .  She specialises in recycling aluminium, for example an Artswave (Ireland & Wales) commission completed in 2005 required 2 tons of metal!  Another project involved primary schools and creating 400 individual hand crafted coins cast from drinks cans. Dawn’s work was featured on the ‘Richard and Judy’ TV show (July 06) and she was also short listed for Welsh Artist of The Year in 2007.  Dawn’s project for Caerleon will involve creating sand moulds interactively with the public, then casting recycled aluminium, to create a sculptural daisy chain of people, depicting community involvement in recycling.