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ENGLISH
Susan
Leyland was born in 1952 Whiston, Lancashire but lived near Cambridge
for many years. At the age of four she was given her first pony by her
Grandfather a veterinarian and horse breeder. At school Susan
discovered her aptitude for art and her work was hung in The London
Royal Academy of Arts children’s exhibitions. Her school years were
spent at boarding school. On leaving school she found work at the
Cambridge University Institute of Criminology.
In 1973 Susan visited Italy where she has lived ever since. The
beautiful Renaissance city of Florence with its museums, art and
history captured her heart. On arrival she followed an Italian language
course at the British Institute as well as drawing classes at the
Florence Academy of Fine Arts. For seven years Susan worked in the
Italian fashion industry and from 1981 she taught English but continued
to draw and paint.
From 1987- 2000 Leyland began to make her first sculptures with the
help of Florentine artisans learning from their skills and traditions.
During this time she was also working as a riding instructor.
In 1999 Leyland held an exhibition at the important Tornabuoni Gallery,
Florence, then a second in Saratoga Springs, NY. In 2000 she decided to
dedicate her time to horse sculpture, creating in 2004 “Horse Block
Sculpture” where the contemporary and the classical merge.
Leyland has taken part and held solo exhibitions in different countries
and cities: UK, USA, Italy, France, Sweden and Germany with collectors
world-wide. In England, Sunningdale, at the Alan Kluckow Fine Art, in
London, with Frost & Reed, the Medici Gallery, the Horsebox
Gallery, at the London Heathrow Airport, at Fulham Palace, the
Wandsworth Museum and in Oxford and Bath. In Italy, she has exhibited
in Florence with the Tornabuoni Gallery, Pietrasanta at the Barbara
Paci Art Gallery, at The Museum of Marino Marini, Pistoia, the Town
Hall of Pontassieve, Casa D’Arte S. Lorenzo, Arte A Colori Colle Val
D’Elsa, Arezzo, Milan, Asti, Lerici and Naples and participation at The
Biennale di Venezia. In USA, Saratoga Springs, NY and in Santa Monica,
CA. In Germany, Stuttgart and in France, Toulouse at the Sakah Gallery,
Paris and La Baule. Participation at contemporary art fairs in Miami,
Istanbul, London, Bologna and Genova with reviews and articles in
magazines and newspapers in different countries, receiving the American
Academy of Equine Art Director’s award in 2008.
About the Ascot Memorial Susan says: “I have had the great honour and
privilege to create The World War I Horse Memorial. I have portrayed a
horse standing motionless, in poignant remembrance. A horse whose
silhouette, shape, body language, anatomy and detail incorporate and
reflect the tragedy of all those horses, mules and donkeys who endured
the 1914-1918 Great War. The only movement being in the tail, caught in
a slight gust of wind, to give a sign of life and hope for the future
that their sacrifice was not in vain.”
THE SCULPTURES
Susan Leyland’s sculptures are one and only unique
pieces, modelled in an artist semi-fireclay of different colours. The
sculptures are also made in the MITAL clay of Impruneta extracted from the hill
behind the terracotta factory. Each
sculpture takes about a month of painstaking work to make, evolving from the
initial basic form to culminating in the final surface finish. When the sculptures are completely dry they
are fired for a week in a furnace reaching a temperature of over 1000°. Prior
to beginning each sculpture Susan undertakes extensive sketches and studies of
horses.
The bronze Gallivanting Horses are also absolutely unique pieces made directly
in wax. A simple basic wax model is used to create a hollow starting point for
the variety of movements and shapes given to the horses. The long stems which elevate the horses are
made in steel and the metal is worked on manually to create the light
reflecting effect and texture. Susan personally works and finishes her bronze
sculpture surfaces ensuring authentic unique pieces. The bronze Block
Sculptures are numbered 1/9 limited editions.
All the sculptures are signed and each comes with a certificate of
authenticity.
ITALIAN
Nata nel 1952, Susan è cresciuta in
Inghilterra vicino a Cambridge. Il nonno, veterinario e allevatore di cavalli
lei regalò il suo primo pony all’età di quattro anni. Ha trascorso gli anni
della scuola in collegio lontano da casa. Amava lo sport e l’equitazione ma
anche lo studio, soprattutto l’arte e la storia dell’arte. Dopo aver terminato
gli studi Susan ha lavorato per un anno come segretaria presso l’Istituto di Criminologia di
Cambridge e nel 1973 si è trasferita in Italia, a Firenze. Dal 1973 al 1980 Susan ha lavorato come
modella presso lo showroom di Ferragamo e con altre case di moda. In 1978 Leyland si è sposata e si è
trasferita a Impruneta. Il 1981 e il
1986 hanno segnato l’arrivo dei suoi figli.
Dal 1982 al 2000 Leyland ha lavorato come insegnante di lingua inglese e
poi come istruttore di equitazione dedicandosi contemporaneamente al disegno e
alla pittura. Affascinata dal lavoro degli artigiani della terracotta
dell’Impruneta e incoraggiata dalla famiglia Mariani, Susan ha cominciato a
fare le sue prime sculture usando questo antico materiale. Nel 1998 Leyland ha tenuta la sua prima mostra, il cui
successo ha segnato l’inizio della sua strada di artista che poi ha portato ad
avere la seconda mostra presso la Galleria Tornabuoni nell’anno
successivo. Nel 2000 Susan, entusiasta
della sua nuova avventura, ha deciso di dedicare il suo tempo alla scultura
unendo il suo amore per i cavalli e l’arte.
LE
SCULTURE
Le sculture in terra di Susan Leyland sono tutti
pezzi unici, modellati in un’argilla artistica, semi-refrattaria, in diverse
sfumature di colori pastello. Altre opere sono create con l’argilla della
fornace MITAL di Impruneta. Il materiale viene estratto dalla collina situata
dietro la fabbrica di terracotta. Il tempo di lavorazione di una scultura è di
circa un mese a partire dalla forma di base fino alla finitura finale. Le sculture dopo l’essicazione vengono cotte
per una settimana in un forno che raggiunge una temperatura di oltre
1000°. I bronzi denominati
Gallivanting Horses (cavalli allegri e vivaci)
sono assolutamente pezzi unici, modellati direttamente in cera, partendo da un
modello base sviluppato poi in varie forme e movimenti allo scopo consentire
alle sculture di essere vuote all’interno e ad avere più o meno le stesse
dimensioni. I lunghi steli dai quali si
elevano i cavalli sono in accaio inossidabile e il metallo è lavorato manualmente per creare una superficie di
effetto che rimanda riflessi di luce. Leyland lavora personalmente le superfici di
tutti i suoi bronzi assicurando delle
vere opere uniche. I bronzi Block
Sculpture (sculture sui blocchi) sono edizioni limitate una di nove. Tutte le
opere sono firmate e accompagnate da certificato di autenticità.
Susan Leyland
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