2016
From the moment I was commissioned in August 2014 to create a Memorial to the
World War I War Horse, I have dedicated my heart to the project.
I have searched in my mind the one horse which would echo as many types of horses possible
well as mules, looking to find in one sculpture what would communicate, through presence,
silhouette, body language and detail, what horses, mules and donkeys lived through and suffered during the war years 1914-1918.
My first study drawings and ideas were very different to the final
maquette as the more I read, the more I learned, the more I realized
how appalling the war had been.
The preparation and making of this maquette has been very much part of
my existence ever since, my emotions far more than I would
ever have imagined. Psychologically stressful and physically tiring at
times.
During the making process I transformed the maquette into different types of horses in varied
positions working through observation and by altering the maquette to
reach what I hope to be a solemn legacy to all war horses and mules by
echoing the souls of those animals with dignity.
To reflect in one sculpture what has been described as “indescribable sufferings and horrors”. absorbing
2015
It is quite a long time since I last
updated my website and artist page. In fact too long. Sorry. Please
join me on Facebook: Susan Leyland - Horse Block Sculpture
where I regularly update on new work, work in progress, exhibitions and other.
2012
I have been working all year to prepare for my solo exhibition at the Marino Marini
Museum, Pistoia to be held from 10th November – 8th
December this year. I have made clay and
bronze Horse Block Sculptures, bronze Gallivanting Horses - horses full of
fleeting movement - which are mounted on tall steel stems as well as two large
sculptures in terracotta one a block and the other a sphere. I have a new catalogue containing works
created over the last three years and works which will be in the
exhibition. The catalogue will be
presented at the vernissage.. The November Marino Marini
Museum exhibition marks a moment of
great importance to me and I wish to thank the museum directors for giving me
the opportunity to exhibit my work in the prestigious MarinoMarini Foundation
Museum of Pistoia
It is difficult to identify the origin of my
inspiration but on thinking back over time I believe that a small collection of
white Chinese porcelain horses I owned, some clay and my enduring love of
horses perhaps initially led me to create sculpture. Time has since passed and
one sculpture has led to another. There has been a natural evolution in my work
and ideas that have led to the development of my Horse Block Sculpture – a
solution of merging subject and base together. The base and the sculpture
become one, each evolving and emerging from the other, whilst maintaining total
balance and visual purity. Sculpture has given me a way to transform something
into something else and not just that which is visible, but also the morphing
of emotions and ideals. The blocks give me a feeling of roots, of stability or
a desire for this, as well as a feeling of peace, calm and reflection, whereas
in extravagant opposition are the Gallivanting Horse sculptures which are
energetic and free.
2011
This
year I have been concentrating on working in wax and bronze as I feel
that these two materials enable me to create new ideas and liberate
movement which is restricting when working in water based clay and the
Horse Block Sculptures. I have sketched many ideas for horses
balanced on tall high bases – horses freeing themselves, frolicking,
spirited and mischievous. Some of these sketches have been
transformed into eight bronzes. I have called them Gallivanting
Horses. Small bronze sculptures on long stems. The first
eight are unique pieces, modelled directly in wax, where I concentrated
especially on silhouette and equilibrium. I have been working and
learning at the foundry for several months. A sort of
apprenticeship or sculpture academy as I wish to learn as much as
possible . New ideas for my Horse Block Sculpture continue
to evolve and I am inspired to work towards more architectural and
angled design sculptures.
I continue to be motivated by creating what I have not done or seen before.
2010
My
artistic
journey continues to evolve. I continue to be inspired and research
an innovative way of representing the horse in art. At the moment -
Sculpture which combines geometric shapes with curves . My
sculptures often symbolically represent my life's passage, as well as
portraying the horse in its own reality I
have called these sculptures Horse Block Sculpture.
2009
What I can now call a career,
began when I was given some Impruneta clay(terracotta), famous since Etruscan
times and I tried to make something with it. The result was a bas-relief depicting
a wild horse. I continued to ‘play’ with
clay and made more adventurous pieces learning by trial and error. My objective
was to make sculpture of harmonious shape and a pleasure to the eye. I wanted
to create beautiful horses with fine legs but I found that it was technically
impossible to do. One day I broke the horse’s legs, head and neck of one
of my fired pieces and mounted what was left on an old piece of stone. This
image enlightened me and I worked on creating this type of sculpture where only
a part of the horse’s legs were portrayed. These sculptures were mounted on old
stone, brick and wood found in the Tuscan countryside. For me these new works
captured images of my memory - what I
would remember from one glace - so if part of a leg was not portrayed it did
not seem necessary. From here my work
developed. The bases of stone, old brick and wood became rigorous blocks in clay. Developing on
my previous works together with new ideas, the blocks and horses naturally merged
together, first in height, then in length. These shapes developed into what I
call ‘Horse Block Sculpture’ I continue
to research shape and form spending time sketching and developing new ideas. I am
working on compiling a book of my sketches ‘Sketches to Sculpture’
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