Exhibitions 2017

Follow the link below to find out about Exhibitions for 2017:

 

https://www.jasonmulligansculpture.com/news

Paper Sails - 2016

This new public artwork was installed within the gardens of the Hughenden Reach housing complex at Tovil, Maidstone. It celebrates the history of the areas association with paper making in Kent, with several of its most renowned paper mill situated in close proximity to the River Medway in the Tovil.

Follow the production of 'Paper Sails' by clicking the link below.

http://hughendenreach.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/paper-sails-2016_17.html

ARTWAVE 2016

Just delivered work today for the ArtWave 2016 - Open Studios in East Sussex. Opening on the weekend of the 20th, 21st Aug, 27th & 28th and again on the 3rd & 4th Aug. 

Showcasing a selection of small works alongside stone sculptor Guy Stevens in his studio.

Location: Upper Stoneham Farm, Lewes, BN8 5RH, 11am to 5pm

Follow orange arrows after entrance to the farm.

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Folding Stone.

The small origami boat is nearly finished and is being carved from a block of Portland Limestone. I have to be mindful of the folds and returns on the design so not to allow for the collection of water or debris when it is fixed in place. I have modified the folds and kept them shallow and robust rather than thin and deep like on paper maquettes.

 http://hughendenreach.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/folding-stone.html

Paper Sails

Working on the design for a new piece of Public Art for the residents of Hughenden Reach, for their gated garden area. Installation date is August 2016.

268 sculptures by 39 sculptors

http://www.onformsculpture.co.uk/

'A Little Light Meditation in the Meadow'

With just over three weeks to go now until onform 16 opens on Sunday 12 June, 39 stone sculptors have now installed over 260 sculptures along the banks of the River Windrush and inside the beautiful grounds of Asthall Manor, Burford.

It’s a privilege to be showing alongside so many ‘rock botherers’ in one place and it was a pleasure to be in their company for several days installing my own work and being helped and helping others. The views around this part of the Cotswolds are simply stunning and the curation of this years exhibition by Rosie & Anna is probably the best yet, since onform's conception in 2002!

Be sure to visit this year and keep up to date with all of the artist's new work as it appears on the website /http://www.onformsculpture.co.uk/

Sculptor Mark Stonestreet installing a 2.5 Ton Indian granite Buddha head in the meadow.

Hooked!

There is a sense of vitality about the studio at the moment. Maybe its because the mornings are brighter and the seasons are changing or maybe its because I am finally making progress with finishing work ready for exhibition.

All the aches and pains that have been running through my fingers each day while rubbing back the surface of this block of Kilkenny has now started to pay off. I am reminded how satisfying the hard work can be when the light picks up on the undercuts of a stone. The intensive journey you go through when carving a hard piece of stone suddenly becomes worthwhile. Maintaining a positive focus can be made even harder when it’s your second attempt at making the carving. The five broken pieces of stone that sit in the corner of the workshop is a constant reminder to myself to never reverse back into the studio with my pallet truck again!

'Moby' - Kilkenny Limestone - 1.7m x 30cm x 25cm

The Inside of a Boulder

'Hammerstone' - Kentish Ragstone. 120 cm x 80 cm x 40 cm

The Shape of Uncertainty

'The Shape of Uncertainty' - Kentish Ragstone - 1.1m x 500mm x 300mm

On the Other Side

When you look at the photos below you could easily be mistaken that it was the middle of autumn! These were in fact taken just before Christmas and New Year! Despite the mild weather and what would normally be a real motivator, progress on the sculptures still seems slow.  This might be down to the fact I have moved from working on the large block and I am now having a go at one of the smaller editions. The ragstone bolder has had any faults and softer limestone removed and I have raised it up for ease of working.  So far I’m pleased with the quality of the material and everything seems solid and sound.  The stone will be cut and opened up and carved into a narrow twisting loop. As I want to reduce the amount of heavy vibration on the stone, the center hole will be cut out with a grinder and not drilled, as will a majority of the carving. The model I am working from has been useful to get me to this stage, but now I need to start looking afresh at the lines and form in the block if I want to make the twist successful.

New Arrivals at Quarry Farm

The arrival of the Ragstone blocks and boulders has brought with it much anticipation. I can be a very patient man, but when you have preselected quarry blocks for so many specific ideas you just want to transpose them onto the stone instantly. I have a vague idea as to how long each piece should take but you can never quite tell. Everything from the weather to lack of light, my tools and most importantly my health always plays a major factor in completing work for a deadline. The intention is to start with the 2-ton slab and once the blocking out is complete and I have a sense of how the stone is behaving I can then turn my attention to the two medium sized carvings. I always like to have several sculptures on the go at once when making a small body of work. I believe that the thought process and concepts from working on one sculpture will feed directly into the next and vice versa.

In The Hands of The Stone Gods

Selecting the right quarry block for a new sculpture was the priority yesterday. The Gallagher's Hermitage Lane quarry is managing to get some nice large blocks out at the moment and it was this one in particular that I was immediately drawn to because of its length. The ragstone, like many natural stones can be unpredictable and it's important to look for sound surfaces. There are several obvious faults and flaws visible on the quarry block but these look like they run out. Sometimes, others are only made apparent when the stone is opened up and explored through cutting. Luckily for me the opportunity to do this in the quarry allows me to see how the stone could behave and if it's right for the purpose of carving. It also helps me reduce the weight of a 5 ton block to just under 2.5 ton, something I would have had to do at the studio! The dimensions I'm now left with after sawing 3 sides is a block, 2 m x 1 m x 500mm....more than enough to carve the idea I've been wanting to do for a while. 

The Lure

Moby!

'Moby'- Kilkenny Limestone and Oak plinth. 2m x 30 cm x 30 cm

Stones were the first hammers!

Most hammers were selected for practical reasons like a convenient fit in the hand or appropriate hardness.  Archaeologists can distinguish ancient hammer stones from naturally formed pebbles because of where they were discovered and evidence of wear. Some hammer stones were even given spiritual significance. Below are some sculptures and small maquettes Ive been experimenting with, exploring a similar form using a variety of different stone types.

 

Kilkenny Limestone.

Carrara Marble

Ancaster Weatherbed Limestone

Kilkenny Limestone

Ancaster Limestone

Ancaster Weatherbed Limestone

On the look out for some Jade and Quarts!!

Ancient ceremonial jade axes are relatively common.  They were probably valuable from the very beginning because jade is rare, working it is difficult and people cared enough about these objects to carry them great distances from the sources of the stone.  In his book The Mind in the Cave, David Lewis Williams described the round quarts hammer stones used by southwestern Native Americans. Quarts stones possess triboluminescence, which means that they produce flashes of light in their interiors when rubbed together. This was particularly effective in dark spaces.  This does not necessarily happen when they are used as hammers, but it is felt, then that strange quality by itself might have been enough to confer spiritual significance onto quartz hammer stones. In some cases pairs of quarts pebbles are still referred to as “lightning stones’ or “lucky stones.”  These are ‘power tools’ of a different sort than the way we use the term today.

White Out!

The beginning of a new carving has been progressing well despite being hampered slightly by the persistent rain today. Resorting to cutting the 1m block of Portland limestone indoors means that so much dust is being thrown up and visibility is poor! I am carving a scaled version of one of the small 'hand - held' axe heads. Interestingly, when changing the scale of one of your carvings into a bigger version, the presence and even the interpretation can change instantly. The work may loose some of its original intention from the model however I'm sure over the course of the next few days working on it and as the dust settles, the purpose and meaning will become a lot clearer!

 

A New Stone Age

My neolithic fascination around stone tools has developed further with this exploration in the form of a limestone harpoon! After several days of carving and refining the curves and outline, it is now ready to be polished to a dark shimmering black. I want to make the 1.7 m stone inviting to touch, so the edges have been smoothed and rounded as if this polishing and erosion has occurred in the sea by water and time. The pattern of the spikes on both sides are asymmetric, as to allow the form to suggest its modelling from an original archeological artefact. 

Open Studio

ARTIST’S OPEN STUDIO – A chance to view work in progress plus a variety of stone sculpture for both the interior and garden at the artist’s studio. 
Open daily - 24th August – 12 September, Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm. Or alternatively Contact Jason on 07771816901 to arrange an alternative viewing over the weekends. 

 

Trails with Tales

The final sculpture installation at Cobtree happened today. The new artwork, 'Trails with Tales', stands at 2.4 m high and is carved from a single 4 ton block of Kilkenny Limestone. The sculpture is located at the entrance to the new visitors center and at the pathway that is the start of the Cobtree Sculpture Trail. There is still some landscaping to be completed before the grand opening on the 3rd of August! Its great to see the sculpture in a different environment than the one Ive been used to at the workshop. The scale of the sculpture works really well and the long deliberation and consultation between Jo, Lewis, Lizzie and myself regarding the positioning of the sculpture has paid off! Even Gert the elephant looks right at home on top!