The Exhibition of garden sculptures at Borde Hill Gardens in West Sussex is sure to be a great success when it opens to be public on 1st May and continues until the end of September. Sculpture by 14 artists will be placed around the formal gardens and woodlands in this beautiful landscape.  I set up three of my garden sculptures in the Garden of Allah, a tranquil glade in part of the woodland area.  ‘Expectation ll’  is a two-part  piece and  is positioned so that the two figures look out into the landscape; these are complemented by ‘Seated Woman’ and ‘Stillness in the Midst’, a garden sculpture whose name was taken from a quotation by Saul Bellow – ‘Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos’.

‘Stillness in the Midst’ Garden Sculpture

Setting up Garden Sculpture at Borde Hill

‘Expectation’ Garden Sculpture

All my garden sculptures including the three exhibited this year at Borde Hill are in editions of 12, these three being in bronze resin in slightly different patinations, which look well against the surrounding majestic trees.  These magnificent trees are part of the collection made by Col. Stephenson R Clarke who sponsored many of the plant hunters’ expeditions in the 19th and early 20th centuries to collect shrubs and trees from all over the world in order to create the beautiful landscape which we see today.

Besides my garden sculptures there are pieces by Veda Hallows who creates works based on organic shapes and  natural forms such as fruits and seeds, birds and butterflies which will appeal to a wide audience;  Ev Meynell, by contrast, has experimented with driftwood  which suggests flowing figures and energetic figurative pieces.   Jo Taylor is a ceramic artist who was inspired to create sculpture for the garden based on the architecture of nearby Brighton, taking as references decorative plasterwork and wrought iron.   Mythical and wild  beasts are the subject of Alan Williams’ work for which he uses reclaimed metal and other materials.

All in all, do have a day out at Borde Hill.  Besides the garden sculptures and the tree collection, there are azaleas and rhododendrons in May, the scented rose garden in June and July, whilst in August the herbaceous border takes centre stage.   Then you can return in September or October for the autumn colours.  And you can buy a sculpture as most of the work is for sale.