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By popular demand
Shapeshifters were again demonstrating stone carving and
organising clay modelling with groups of children and adults at
The Quay Gallery in Bewdley on the 25th and 26th of July 2015.
Shapeshifters were also present at
the following two Winterbourne Garden events where,
as well as exhibiting some of their work, they are available to
discuss and demonstrate sculpture and design techniques.
The Toy Steam and
Traditional Hobbies Day. Saturday 10th October 2015
Christmas at Winterbourne.
Saturday 5th December 2015. 11am - 5pm.
The open event in May at The Quay Gallery in
Bewdley was a great success. Shapeshifters organised by
Tony Crumpton give their time for free and members of
the public could join in the sculpture activities with
no charge being made for materials. This year there was
an opportunity for satisfied participants to donate to
the Forest Dog Rescue charity and £36.41 was raised.
Lynn and Nick who run the gallery and The Forest Dog
Rescue both sent messages of thanks to the Shapeshifters
for this fund raising activity.
Our last group exhibition was held at the Royal
Birmingham Society of Artists in August 2012. The
exhibition in the RBSA galleries and the accompanying
sculpture demonstrations in the churchyard of the nearby
St. Paul's church attracted considerable interest. The
show was held jointly with the Birmingham and Midland
Pastel Society and there were about 50 sculptures from
around 20 Shapeshifters displayed in both galleries.
Our 2011 Exhibition was at the Art Barn near
Henley-in-Arden. The group showed over 100 sculptures
in the gallery, in the garden and in Preston Bagot
Church. The sizes of the work varied greatly as did
prices which ranged from £100 to £5,000. This was a
great venue attracting many visitors and 19 works were
sold.
"Shapeshifters Sculpture Group “Outreach Events”
2013
In
addition to working at Dudley College and Winterbourne
Gardens the group likes to outreach with demonstrations
in stone carving and clay modelling. In 2013 we have
been active at Winterbourne Bug Day (20 April), The Quay
Gallery, Bewdley (10 &11 August) and at Belbroughton
scarecrow weekend (28 & 29 September). For some of the
adult visitors it is stone carving that interests and
the children, of all ages, enjoy the hands on experience
of modeling in air dry clay. It appears that many
primary school age children no longer have the
opportunity to do creative modeling with the tactile
pleasure of moulding a lump of soft clay into something
recognisable to their individual imagination.
Most young children and some teenagers really enjoy
the experience and are competent with a little guidance
to get them started or a few finishing touches enhance
their model. Some are utterly enthralled by the
transformation with their own two hand of the clay into
their favourite bear, fish, owl, penguin or whatever
else comes from their imagination. On
one occasion a teenage boy preferred to continue with
his model dinosaur rather than go to the pub and on
another the mother of a young girl came back to collect
her model and told us she had spent the afternoon
telling all her friends it was the best event of the
weekend. We
enjoy sharing our skills and get great satisfaction when
we see the pleasure others also get from making. |
We
have held Group exhibitions over the past decade at a number of
different venues. Here is a selection.
Our 2011 Exhibition was at the Art Barn near
Henley-in –Arden. The group showed over 100 sculptures
in the gallery, in the garden and in Preston Bagot
Church.
The
sizes of the work varied greatly as did prices which
ranged from £100 to £5,000.
This was a great venue
attracting many visitors and 19 works were sold. |
Lindsay Welch,
Abundance Declared, Ancaster Weatherbed |
Peter Jones,
Monk in Contemplation, Gritstone |
Betty O’Hara,
Hear, Mahogany |
Viv Astling,
Primavera Unfurling, Ancaster Hard
White |
John Vaughan,
Happy Days, Ancaster Limestone
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Reg Collins,
Basillisk, Limestone |
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Joan Sharma, Girl, Black Serpentine on
a wooden base |
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Before 2011 we held exhibitions in a variety of
public and private venues. Here is a selection.
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Jeannie’s
Garden, Sutton Coldfield : we have held a one-day summer
exhibition in Jeannie’s Garden for the last six years,
whatever the weather! |
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Dudley
College : a graduation exhibition of stone and
sculptural ceramics. |
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Mill Dene
Garden, Blockley : a two-week exhibition at this RHS
recognized garden in Gloucestershire.
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Upton
Village, Nottinghamshire : a two-day exhibition to
complement the village’s Open Garden weekend with
sculpture demonstrations. The event was in aid of the
restoration fund for Upton church bells. |
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Dormston
School Gallery : a month-long exhibition to celebrate
the opening of a £2m lottery-funded theatre and gallery
at this Dudley school. |
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Winterbourne
Gardens, Birmingham : a month-long exhibition in the
prestigious gardens near to the University of
Birmingham. |
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Birmingham
Botanical Gardens : a two-week exhibition held on two
occasions in the Conservatory of the historic gardens. |
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Woodbridge
Gallery, Birmingham : two ten-day exhibitions in the
gallery and garden of this popular Moseley venue. |
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