When Plant Curator visited the Snowdrop Festival at Mapperton Gardens earlier this year, we came across the Snowdrop sculptures of Colleen Du Pon. Du Pon is an Ironwork artist and artisan working in Dorset and her own magnified representations of these small flowers were set among the garden landscape. Standing tall at nearly shoulder height, these public art works bring connection to place, engaging the imagination by referencing the local landscape and in particular the species rendered. Rather than detract from the snowdrops themselves, they highlight the distinctive shaping and balance of these tiny, angelic plants, giving us the opportunity to appreciate aspects of their morphology on a larger scale. Plant Curator became interested in the artist’s process, how she starts with something so small and works it up into these imposing metal forms and a few other things besides. So we asked her some questions and she very kindly agreed to answer them.
Please tell us a bit about your background and how you came to ironwork sculpture?
Having always been creative, I made stained glass when I lived in Canada. When I came to the UK in 1997 I wanted to make metalwork to incorporate into the glass work, so I did some short courses in Ornamental metalwork and in Silversmithing and then finally ended up at Camberwell College of Arts, London, in their Silversmithing and Metalwork Degree Course. I gravitated towards the silver first and wanted to make jewellery, then discovered the forges and ironworking and was taken with it. That was in 1999. I became self employed as an Artist Blacksmith and Artist in Metal in 2007 so have been working with metals in one form or another for for about 17 years.
Plants seem to be a theme?
I’ve always loved plants and flowers especially wildflowers, and I think that comes from my mother who liked gardening. She used to take us into the woods to collect wildflowers to plant in our garden, not the sort of thing you would do today but I think it was ok in Canada in the 1970’s! I really took to making flower sculptures when I lived in Highland Perthshire in Scotland and on my many walks with my daughter and the dogs was amazed at the amount and diversity of the wildflowers there.
Give us some details about the Snowdrops?
The Snowdrops are all individual so they vary in size and shape, but they range in size from 1.7m tall to 90cm. I use about a 1m square 2mm thick mild steel to create the petals and approximately 1m to 2m of 12mm round bar for the stem and the leaves are made from 50x3mm flat, that length can vary from 50cm to 2.5m if there’s more than one leaf on the plant. The weights vary from one to a few kilos. Each one takes approximately 3 hours to make, sometimes a little more and sometimes less. They are then galvanized and patinated. I’ve made 5 in the first series, 9 in the second and I’ll soon be making another batch for the summer shows, probably another 9 so there will be less than 25 of them in existence, and as much as I love the Snowdrops I think it might be time to move onto something else.
One of the things Plant Curator appreciates about your snowdrop work is its ambient character. Rather than take away from real plants, when your sculptures are displayed in public spaces (like Mapperton Garden) it announces the presence of the real, smaller plants to visitors, who may miss them as they walk through the garden. In this way, it enhances and works for nature. Do you think about this?
Not initially when I am creating the sculpture, as then I am focused on creating a representation of it. When the Sculptures are placed there is great care taken as to the most appropriate spot, they need to work with the surroundings. Sculpture for the garden should act as a highlight, an accent to the natural beauty, even though it is a focal point, it needs the plants and flowers around it to set the stage.
When you sculpt a new plant what is your process? How do you maintain proportion on a larger scale?
I make drawings from photographs, I also love old botanists’ drawings, along with the real plant to dissect and study each part to get the proportion and shapes correct. If I can’t get hold of the real thing I will find silk plants or fake ones to pull apart. I tend to ‘go big’ when I draw, I don’t use grids or CAD or projections, I don’t use templates, I draw each component part out freehand. This is my natural way of working, and a conscious decision so that each one is unique, there are no exact copies from one to the next when making series. Even though I make accurate studies of the plant or flower, I am not trying to make a realistic copy, I assimilate that information and sometimes simplify the forms.
What tools, equipment and materials do you need to work?
My forges, both gas and coal, my anvils, swage blocks, vices, hammers and other shaping tools, which is your basic Blacksmith’s set up, along with an oxy propane torch, some mild steel, and a lot of time and a clear head.
Please describe your workspace
I could do with my workshops space times 3! It’s far too small but it forces me to be organized with my space, creativity is a messy business. Having said that it’s in the right place on a farm in Symondsbury. On breaks I can go and take the dogs for a walk in the fields, talk to the horse and it generally gives me the head space I need to create.
You do personal and public pieces, do you have a preference?
I love making jewellery, silver is such a lovely medium, but I do find it fiddly and don’t do very much of it these days. I am in love with the processes in working iron, creating from the fire, and actually the majority of the work I do is making Blacksmithing items, firesets, candleholders, gates etc, but sculpture is my first love. I will be exhibiting in a few summer shows this year, so excited about that.
What inspires you?
I’m continually inspired by nature, every time I am out in it, walking the dogs or whatever I’m in awe of it. I love the little humble flowers and weeds. I love living by the coast.
How did the Mapperton display come about?
I’m relatively new to the area so wasn’t completely aware of Mapperton, but I had some customers of mine that had said to me my work would be great there. Last year I exhibited at a lovely country house in Chepstow, Wyndcliffe House and Gardens which was very successful and Sculpture just fits so well in these big old gardens. I’m always looking for new exciting ways to exhibit my work so when I noticed Mapperton were having Snowdrop Open days I contacted them as thought it was a great match for my Snowdrops! Luckily they thought so as well!
Do you sculpt plants on request?
I have made all sorts of things, from Stargazer Lilies, Daffodils, Buttercups and even gates of Ears of Wheat to commission.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given when you started working as a commercial artist?
I started out blind and really didn’t listen to any advice given to me as I just wanted to create work. When I was little I knew that I would be an Artist, it was either that or a Horse Trainer. I think I didn’t have a choice about it, it is just who I am so I pursued it at all costs, I’ve done lots of other jobs along the way to pay the bills and pay for my art habit. Probably the best piece of advice I’ve heard lately has been to concentrate on doing what you love, and create as much work as you can.
Have you had much support in your work as a practicing artist?
I was awarded the Bruce Church Travel Scholarship and traveled for a year after graduation, from 2003-2004 this took me to the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and India looking at indigenous arts and in India I worked with a tribe of nomadic blacksmiths. Other than that I have just worked hard and continuously, using credit cards and my overdraft to buy that next bit of kit or whatever! I’ve never had any funding from any arts organization, would love to get some funding some day just to buy some time to make a body of work to exhibit as I find it hard to get the time to indulge myself, or to take time out to travel and work with more blacksmiths overseas.
Professionally do you have any goals?
I’d love one day to create metalwork for a garden at Chelsea Flower Show. Until then I’d just like to be making work and exhibiting and selling work at Sculpture Shows here in the UK and abroad. Having said that I do get great satisfaction from even small commission work and creating things for people’s homes.
The Snowdrops will next be on show at Stone Lane Gardens’ 2014 Mythic Garden Sculpture Exhibition from May 4th – October 5th. Du Pon also has wildflower sculptures on show at Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Gardens from May 2nd.
Colleen Du Pon’s Website & Etsy Store