A unique collection of bronze sculptures by well-known painters and printmakers commissioned by Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. In 2008 Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop invited some of Scotland’s best known painters and printmakers to make small bronzes in limited editions at Powderhall Bronze Foundry. The bronzes are available in limited editions of six and can be purchased direct from Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and during the exhibitions below. All proceeds will go towards ESW’s new sculpture centre which will provide the ideal environment for supporting artists and promoting public access to the arts. Exhibitions Coming Up The Rendezvous Gallery in Aberdeen, 13 - 27 February 2010 (Website ››) Paintings and prints will be exhibited alongside the commissioned sculptures. The Fleming Collection in London, 25 – 27 March (Website ››) Past Exhibitions Scottish Gallery, April 2009 Artworks can also be purchased direct from Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.

Alexander Moffat
Sculpture is the best comment that a painter can make on painting. - Picasso

Sculpture and Painting have long enjoyed a close relationship. For many people the example of Michelangelo remains supreme, but the story goes back much further than the Italian Renaissance……much further even than the astonishing achievements of the ancient Greeks or the Chinese artists of the Zhou dynasty, or indeed the art of the Celtic peoples, all working around two and a half thousand years ago. This relationship has survived and prospered in more recent times. It would be impossible to grasp the full implications of European art in 20th century art without reference to the sculpture of Picasso, Matisse and Giacometti while reminding ourselves how they in turn had been inspired by the sculptural innovations made by both Degas and Renoir. The tradition of painters making sculpture is an ongoing one capable of invigorating and renewing both art forms.

Opportunities for painters to make sculpture, however, remain few and far between. Without access to the tools of the trade, including technical advice and the supply of basic materials, the task is well nigh impossible. Casting a work in bronze is normally beyond an artist’s wildest dreams. The enthusiastic response of the artists participating in Painters in Bronze is therefore understandable. And that these artists make up a cross-section of Scotland’s finest painters is also a tribute to the current standing of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and its ambitious plans for the future.

In its relatively brief history, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop has established an environment with appropriate facilities, both technical and educational, that has enabled hundreds of artists to make and develop their work. In addition, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop functions as a national centre of excellence, organizing exhibitions, international exchanges, residencies, community activities and public art projects across Scotland. Together with the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden and the Glasgow Sculpture Studios, ESW has become indispensable to the
making of sculpture in Scotland.

During my student years in Edinburgh it was noteworthy that my fellow students in the Sculpture Department took 5 years to complete their diploma course as opposed to 4 years for a painting student. The gaining of valuable craft skills considered necessary for the practice of sculpture was prioritised. For one reason or another, Art Schools have systematically abandoned the emphasis on acquiring craft skills in both painting and sculpture in favour of more academically inclined programmes. While this in itself is deeply regrettable and not without serious implications, it suggests a further role for artist-led organizations such as Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop i.e. the teaching and handing down of all those specialist skills and expertise needed to successfully realize works of art, or in this case, sculpture, whether they be bronze casting, wood or stone carving, metal-work, or newer forms of object-making including film and video work.

The proposed new building for Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop designed by Sutherland Hussey Architects is one of the most impressive and inspired projects for the enhancement of the visual arts in Scotland today. It speaks of raising the bar, of moving forward confidently and as such is truly worthy of our support. Visiting Tony Cragg’s studio in Wuppertal a few years ago reminded me that the combined spaces of our three Sculpture Workshops are considerably less than his one. Much has been achieved in Scotland in the past quarter century, but there is a long way to go before we can match the best in Europe. Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop has a vision that if realized, would make a significant contribution to closing this gap.

Powderhall Bronze

Brian and Kerry,directors of Powderhall Bronze, and their staff are delighted to support Painters in Bronze and Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s new build plans.

Acknowledgements

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop would like to thank the individuals and organizations who have supported Painters In Bronze:

Guy Peploe and The Scottish Gallery, Duane Mead and The Rendezvous Gallery, Selina Skipwith and the Fleming Collection, Alisdair Kettles, Brian Caster and Kerry Hammond and the team at Powderhall Bronze, Morton Fraser Solicitors, Iestyn Day, Alexander Moffat, Peter Dibdin Photography, Sam Stead, Gordon Munro, Bill Scott and William Brotherston.

John Bellany, Elizabeth Blackadder & Barbara Rae for donating paintings to the launch exhibition at the Scottish Gallery.

With the support of Elizabeth Blackadder, William Brotherston and Frank Pottinger ESW commissioned two sculptures of Bass Rock as a tribute to John Houston who liked the idea of our new sculpture centre and who looked forward to taking part in this project.

Most particularly we would like to thank all the participating artists for their continued support and generosity.

Photographs: Peter Dibdin Photography (Bronzes); Duncan Robertson (Victoria Crowe, Jack Knox and Gordon Mitchell bronzes)