It’s Autumn here in the UK and I was recently inspired by two adventures in Yorkshire.
Both adventures came in the form of sculpture – which (surprisingly) got me sketching in public, indoors and outdoors, for the first time in many moons. Definitely very rusty - but it felt good to activate that particular muscle again and I intend to use a lot more drawing in my work in the coming months.
The first event was attending the showing of ‘An Improbable Odyssey’, a Peter Stern film about the life and work of sculptor Brian Wall at the Hepworth Wakefield Museum – an appropriate location as Brian was an assistant to Barbara Hepworth in the late 1950s /early 1960s. I would recommend this film to anyone – it’s informative, witty and inspiring. Brian’s Q&A after the film (his last he says) was equally as enlightening. At 93, he is still making quality work and is as sharp and insightful as ever.
The second event was a visit to The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP). I arrived too early and expected to have to wait but was allowed in and wandered alone down into a valley towards the ‘Large Two Forms’ by Henry Moore. It was raining but the empty park was glorious. The sculpture was intriguing and, all around it, the colours of autumn were beginning to show. I walked for 90 minutes but could have spent much longer, so much to see.
Around 35 years ago I considered studying art and music in this exact spot when Bretton Hall College was housed here in the park grounds. The buildings still stand. What would have happened if I had chosen this path?
It’s strangely compelling to think about these ‘sliding-doors’ moments - Autumn is a good season for that.
By the way, if you're ever in Wakefield - the cathedral is beautiful.
Until the next quarter - Stay curious.
VB x
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