With just a month or two left of the warm summer weather, it’s time to make the most of our outdoor spaces. Some of the ways we can are by adding thoughtfully curated sculpture, and carefully selected outdoor furnishings. Indeed, green areas all over the country are increasingly being enhanced by art installations and sculpture.
When introducing sculpture to your own garden, it’s important to consider how a piece or artwork or furniture will interact with its surroundings, and what effect you are striving for. For example, do you want to enhance a contemporary aesthetic, create a dramatic and traditional setting, or encourage a sense of peace and synchronicity with the environment?
When contemplating the right piece for an outdoor space, scale is an important consideration. Large works of art can generate a dramatic and imposing effect, whilst whimsy and intrigue can be created by the placement of smaller pieces dotted throughout a walkway or border.
Nature inspired sculptor Geoff Jeal and Adam Paddon both create breathtaking works of art depicting supersized imaginings of usually minuscule and delicate natural elements like seeds, nuts, fruit, and leaves. Despite their exaggerated scale, their subject matter sits harmoniously within a natural environment.
Highly regarded sculptors Philip Jackson and Jay Battle also create monumental pieces - Philip sculpting imposing and theatrical figurative bronze pieces, with a forceful and alluring aesthetic that would elevate a grand and traditional setting; and Jay, using his skills as a stonemason, to carve striking and undulant abstract works of art from materials including limestone, slate, and marble which would sit perfectly in outdoor schemes with a sleek and contemporary look.
Philip Jackson’s piece Bathing Belle is mammoth in scale (at almost 2 meters tall), yet has an elegant and ethereal quality which feels at once commanding yet serene.
A good way of finding inspiration for embellishing your own outdoor space is to visit local gardens and attractions. Observing the way they display their chosen pieces can help you to understand what you would like to emulate - or avoid - in your own design, and get the creative juices flowing. You may even have found inspiration in the beautiful gardens filmed in popular series Bridgerton.
As founder of Gardening Express, Chris Bonnet, says “The first thing that comes to many people’s minds when they think about Bridgerton is the charming scenery”, so it stands to reason that it has sparked a nationwide fascination with romantic garden setups. House Beautiful Magazine say that the key to creating a Bridgerton worthy garden scheme is to “use accessories that capture the essence of the Regency era”.
Delicate bird, or opulent lion themed pieces would work wonderfully in this scheme.
If space is at a premium then smaller sculpture is perfectly capable of making an impact. For example, Adam Binder’s Blue Tit in Birdcage is diminutive in size, but its intricate beauty and colourful patination is big on impact.
A well placed sculpture in a garden can also be used draw focus to an area of your plot which may otherwise be underused. Perhaps you have a dark wooded area, or spot in which it is hard to grow colourful planting? This sort of space is perfect in which to add an artistic element of beauty.
To make your garden more cosy and inviting to help your enjoyment of your newly placed artwork, why not add some home comforts like soft seating and outdoor rugs? The colourful Santa Fe rug is available in either a turquoise/blue or orange/blue option and is made from recycled PET, making it ideal for use outdoors, yet with the design and feel of a woollen flat weave.
Check out our online gallery of outdoor installations for inspiration. There are plenty of sculpture to choose from, whether you are looking for traditional wildlife subjects like William Montgomery’s Single Grouse in Flight, Simon Gudgeon’s Pelicans, or Hamish Mackie’s Wolf Female - Life Size, figurative pieces such as Philip Jackson’s It Raineth Even on the Just or more abstract designs like Inner Circle by Jay Battle.
