Waterperry Gardens provides the ideal backdrop for a solo show, and this Autumn Jenny will be showing more than two dozen recent sculptures there at SuperNature III.
There aren't many female blacksmiths, and there aren't many metalworkers of any gender who regularly produce work that stands three or four metres high. But then Jenny Pickford is an unusual artist.
Originally studying in fine art, she switched to learning blacksmithing at Hereford College because she wanted to work on a larger scale. Today she’s recognised internationally as one of the country’s leading artist-blacksmiths, with a signature style that combines forged steel with blown glass to make fluid, organic shapes of recognisable plants with leaves, stalks and flowers … and they’re spectacularly oversized.
“I love the technical challenges of creating a huge work that will be stable when it’s installed and maybe shiver a little in the breeze. I like to stop people in their tracks.”
Jenny’s sculptures are intended to grab the attention, to make you really see and feel the swirls and swoops of nature. The sheer scale draws attention to the delicacy and sensitivity of the sinuous shapes – but you also know the strength of the piece, because it’s made of metal and glass.
“I love Waterperry Gardens, the mix of formality and areas that are still uncultivated woodland. Maybe because I can see so many suitable locations for my work – some pieces suit the formal areas, others relate so well to the wilder, more open settings.”
Jenny grew up on a farm four miles from Waterperry and still has family in the area; she feels a strong connection to the Oxfordshire countryside where her artistic imagination was forged.
Meet The Artist Days
Join Jenny at Waterperry Gardens to find out more about her inspiration, blacksmithing skills and creative passion for nature. If you have a project idea, come and discuss it with her over a glass of wine!
Friday 21st & Saturday 22nd September
Friday 12th & Saturday 13th October
For more info about Jenny-
Visit: http://www.jennypickford.co.uk
Tel: 07985 246056
Email: [email protected]
Facebook : JennyPickford
Twitter: @jenny_pickford
