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Jon Edgar

For the New Zealand sculptor, see John Edgar (sculptor).

Jon Edgar is a British sculptor of the Frink School. Improvisation is an important part of his reductive working process[1] and developed from the additive working process of Alan Thornhill. Final works are often autobiographical, perhaps referencing anxieties or pre-occupations at the time.[2][3] His body of work includes many clay portrait sketches of eminent sitters.

Biography

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Born 1968 in Rustington, West Sussex, the grandson of animator Brian White. He studied at both Exeter University and University of London before attending the former Frink School of Figurative Sculpture for two years from 2000, being awarded The Discerning Eye national bursary[4] for his studies.

The Environment Triptych (2008) features portraits of the independent scientist James Lovelock (who sat in Devon in 2007), moral philosopher Mary Midgley (sitting in Newcastle in 2006) and writer Richard Mabey (sitting in Norfolk in 2007). Entrepreneur and co-founder of Cass Sculpture Foundation Wilfred Cass sat at Goodwood in 2008.

In 2009 the first sittings for the Environment Series heads[5] took place, marking some of those who have contributed to a potential better future, with Professor Chris Rapley CBE sitting in Fittleworth, West Sussex, Tim Smit CBE in Fowey, Cornwall, Peter Randall-Page and Guy Watson in Devon, Gordon Murray in Surrey and Caroline Lucas in Brighton, East Sussex.

In 2010, clay from the parish of Compton, Guildford was used for portraits of potter Mary Wondrausch and former Watts Gallery curator Richard Jefferies both of which became integrated into the Compton Triptych.[6][7]

Wood from the felled Highgrove Cedar of Lebanon at Highgrove House given by Charles, Prince of Wales has produced three sculptures in 2010 and 2011. [8]

An interesting stone was discovered by Edgar in 2012, being used as a planter in a West Sussex garden. It was subsequently identified as an important Roman sculpture on the theme of Iphigenia in Tauris.[9]

A posthumous bust of Lancelot Capability Brown was created for the tercentenary of Brown's death. Working forensically from the secondary source evidence of contemporary paintings and sketches, the terracotta head was launched in London in 2016 and then exhibited at Stowe House, now Stowe School.[10][11][12][13]

Work in public collections

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Portraits of Antarctic explorer and broadcaster Duncan Carse exist in public collections in South Georgia Museum, funded by the South Georgia Association, South Atlantic [14] and at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge University, UK.[15] A bronze of Philippa Scott was unveiled at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Slimbridge visitor centre in December 2011. A relief carving of a snake charmer was acquired by Surrey University Art Collection in 2012.[16]

 
Portal sculpture at Devil's Punch Bowl

’Lewes Group (2010)’: Southover Grange Gardens, Lewes[17] ‘Portal (2013)’: Hindhead[18][19] ‘Trisantonis (2014)’: RSPB Pulborough Brooks[20] A 3 tonne Portland stone block has been worked in public over 2014/5 at Slindon, West Sussex and was permanently placed in the National Trust's replanted historic Northwood.[21] A new 7 tonne Portland stone block was worked on site at Horsham in the Sussex Weald[22] throughout 2019, in response to the environment and involving the local community. In September 2021, a new oak block was begun at the end of lockdown in Sutton, West Sussex.[23]

Film appearances

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The documentary film on sculptor Alan Thornhill; Spirit in Mass - Journey into Sculpture,[24] which was produced in 2007 with funding from Screen South and UK Film Council, features former students of the Frink School, including Edgar talking about Thornhill's influence on his own work.

The creation of the Stephen Duffy head[25] was coincidentally documented during the filming of the Douglas Arrowsmith documentary Memory & Desire: 30 Years in the Wilderness with Stephen Duffy & the Lilac Time. The film[26][27] was released at the London Raindance Film Festival in October 2009.

The terracotta sculpture forms the CD cover image for the 2009 album[28] by the same name.

The 2006 Herefordshire Jigsaw Sculpture outreach project is documented on film.[29]

Articles and publications

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Charmer (2011)

Petworth Society Magazine No. 176, pp. 38–41, June 2019 - ‘’Freelance; the role of art and artist in society

J.Edgar, Foreword M. Imms (2016). A South Downs Year: Creation of the Slindon Stone - The Sculptor’s Journal ISBN 978 0 9558675 2 1 (Hesworth Press)

P.Hall, M.Scott, H. Pheby (2013). Jon Edgar - Sculpture Series Heads - Terracotta Portraits of Contributors to British Sculpture ISBN 978 0 9558675 1 4 (Hesworth Press in association with The Lightbox and Yorkshire Sculpture Park)

E. Black, J. Edgar, K.M.J. Hayward and M. Henig (2012). A New Sculpture of Iphigenia in Tauris. Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies, 43, pp 243–249 doi:10.1017/S0068113X12000244 (Cambridge Journals)

Lady Scott Commemorated; Waterlife; April/June 2012 p. 9.

A Decade of Sculpture in the Garden, Harold Martin Botanic Garden University of Leicester (2011) ISBN 978-0-9564739-1-2 p. 30.

Meet the artist, Surrey Life November 2011 p. 156 Archant Press

The Petworth Magazine No. 139, pp. 11–12 2010 - Petworth Marble - an update

The Jackdaw Magazine Nov/Dec 2009 - Portrait Sculpture: A Neglected Form? p. 10. ISSN 1474-3914

The Petworth Magazine No. 132, pp. 10–11 2008 - A contemporary search for Petworth Marble

Responses - Carvings and Claywork (2008)[30] has a foreword by Sir Roy Strong and features other terracotta portraits of eminent sitters who all agreed to sit for Edgar including sculptors Alan Thornhill, Nicolas Moreton and Ken Ford, historian Sir Roy Strong, conservationist Lady Philippa Scott (widow of Sir Peter Scott), entrepreneur Stuart Wheeler, industrialist Sir John Harvey-Jones and songwriter and musician Stephen Duffy.

Timothy Mowl's 2007 publication on the Historic Gardens of Oxfordshire [31] includes the landscape of Asthall Manor, home to the biennial stone sculpture event[32] where reference is made to Edgar "coaxing his stone into semi-figurative forms of brooding power, as in his 'Wight Man'."[33] and 'Arch'.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Jon Edgar". Howtomakeadifference.net. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Body images at Russell-Cotes Art Gallery". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Russell Cotes interpretation panels". Jonedgar.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  4. ^ [1] [dead link]
  5. ^ "2011 works: The Human Clay exhibition". Jonedgar.wordpress.com. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  6. ^ article on The Human Clay exhibition, Surrey Advertiser, 2 December 2011, p. 11
  7. ^ "THE HUMAN CLAY - University of Surrey - Guildford". Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Henig, M.; Hayward, K. M. J.; Edgar, J.; Black, E. (22 November 2012). "A New Sculpture of Iphigenia in Tauris". Britannia. 43: 243–249. doi:10.1017/S0068113X12000244. Retrieved 22 February 2019 – via Cambridge Core.
  10. ^ "Stowe House - Capability Brown sculpture on display". Stowe.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  11. ^ "AUGUST PRESS-RELEASE : Capability Brown Tercentenary - London_Exhibition" (PDF). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Busted: Capability Brown set to be captured like never before". Chroniclelive.co.uk. 20 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Lancelot 'Capability' Brown by Jon Edgar". Buildingcentre.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) catalogue reference SGHT.2009.5
  15. ^ "Scott Polar Research Institute » Museum catalogue". Spri.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  16. ^ Grayburn, Patricia (2015). Architecture and Public Art. Guildford: University of Surrey. p. 7.
  17. ^ "Lewes set to host giant sculpture by Jon Edgar". Sussexexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Culture Shift » A3D legacy at Hindhead". Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  19. ^ "A3D Hindhead - A Creative Legacy". a3dhindhead.tumblr.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  20. ^ "Sculpture is completed after 15 months of work". Wscountytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  21. ^ "Fittleworth sculptor to embark on new year-long project". Wscountytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  22. ^ "First riders take on West Sussex pump track after official opening". Westsussextoday.co.uk. 10 February 2019.
  23. ^ A Work in Progress at Lord's Piece; The Petworth Society Magazine, No. 185 (December 2021) p. 24-5
  24. ^ "Film: Spirit in Mass - Journey into Sculpture (2007)". Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  25. ^ "Portrait of Stephen Duffy 2007 terracotta". Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  26. ^ "British Council Film: Memory and Desire: 30 Years in the Wilderness with Stephen Duffy and The Lilac Time". film.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Index of /". Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  28. ^ Audio CD (28 Sep 2009) ASIN: B002MX9YJG
  29. ^ "Jigsaw sculpture". Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Responses - Carvings and Claywork - Jon Edgar Sculpture 2003-2008. UK: Hesworth Press. 2008. ISBN 978-0-9558675-0-7.
  31. ^ Mowl, T. Historic Gardens of Oxfordshire (2007) Tempus ISBN 978-0-7524-4086-6
  32. ^ "Homepage". Onformsculture.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Wight Man (2006)". Jonedgar/co/uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  34. ^ "arch (2006) | Jon Edgar". Jonedgar/co/uk. Retrieved 9 August 2022.

Further reading

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  • Beckingham, Peter, South Downs Showcase - 200 Years of Creativity around Lodsworth, Petworth and Midhurst, Lodsworth Heritage Society, 2021 ISBN 978-1-3999-0626-5
  • Mabey, Richard, Turning The Boat For Home - A Life Writing About Nature published Penguin Random House 2019 ISBN 978-0701181086 - an account of the portrait sitting and patination of bronze (Prologue X-XII)
  • Blythe, Ronald, ‘’Stour Seasons’’ Canterbury Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1-84825-884-6 p.95-6 'Jon Edgar Brings My Bust'
  • Blythe, Ronald, ‘’Decadal’', Enitharmon Press, 2015 ISBN 978-1-907587-81-8 - portrait head of Blythe in frontispiece

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/view_as/grid/search/keyword:jon-edgar--makers:jon-edgar-b1968

Sculptors 1986-2016 (2017) Miriquidi Books ISBN 978-0-9934111-2-0; foreword by Peter Murray (Yorkshire Sculpture Park) and Adrian Glew, archivist at Tate Gallery

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