Anthony Downing - Stone Carver, Sculptor & Engraver
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I make 2d and 3d work inspired by natural forms, the environment around me and the qualities of natural materials.
My sculpture work is principally in stone though I also use wood and clay to develop work and produce finished pieces. I have carried out a number of commissions including work for the Environment Agency at Sprotbrough fish pass and Sheffield City Council’s Grey to Green regeneration at West Bar. I use drawing as the starting point for all my work and see it as the vital creative skill and a form of visual thinking to be continually practiced and developed. Over the last 25 years I have worked on environmental issues in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire and I am fascinated how geography and geology shape an area physically and socially. This continually influences my art practice and much of my recent work has been about exploring a limited pallet using charcoal, chalk and ochres to depict the landscape and built environment. Water leaching through abandoned coal seams can carry high concentrations of iron which leaves deposits of ochre (iron oxide) as it breaks out into streams and rivers. I collect samples of these, which may vary in colour from orangey yellow to dark rusty brown, to incorporate into my artwork. |