Christmas Wishes

Winding down into winter, I’ve been enjoying some quiet solitary making. Working slowly towards an exhibition One Island - Many Visions for next year, with fellow Royal Society of Sculptors members, in collaboration with Portland Sculpture Quarry Trust. I’m interested in Lichen (Xanthoria Parietina) found on rocks at Tout Quarry, their colour, form, and radial growth. Among the oldest living and slowest growing organisms on Earth, the first to colonise new land, Lichen absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide. It seems fitting that my making is a slow, meditative process. I’ve been gathering materials, dyeing recycled fabric with turmeric, onion skins and avocado pits, wrapping and hand-stitching. Looking forward to another trip to Portland this weekend to collect beach litter for the work. Thanks to those who have donated remnants. If you have any spare orange or yellow waste textiles please get in touch!

Drawing on Dorset

Two of my charcoal drawings are currently on exhibition at The Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3JG, part of Dorset Visual Arts Drawing on Dorset, which has toured venues in the South West. The show is in the Drawing Room and runs daily from 23 November - 23 March.

Sprouting Potato, charcoal on Arches paper

Dandelion Roots, charcoal on Somerset paper

If you’d like to purchase a drawing, please get in touch!

I have 3 pieces on show created from discarded piano parts in The Piano Shop Bath, 1&2 Canton Place BA1 6AA, created for Played and Remade. Available for sale and online.

A few images of my work from Elemental, an exhibition at Sou Sou West Gallery, Bridport, Dorset last month. I showed with Jan Alison Edwards and Ally Matthews.

Maquette I, Above and Below; recycled and found materials

Foreground: work by Jan Alison Edwards; Background: my Stilt Structure II

Nymph; found, discarded, recycled materials: fabric dyed with botanical inks, jute, teabags, paper, oil, rhubarb leaves, wood, wire, wood & other natural debris, hair, shoe inner sole, copper, wax, thread, sisal

Nymph (collage); recycled materials: paper, plant debris, fabric, teabags, cardboard

Foreground: Maquette I, Above and Below; on wall: work by Ally Matthews; Background: Stilt Structure II

My work on show at Elemental, Sou Sou West Gallery

Alongside the exhibition, I ran a weekend Eco Sculpture Workshop with Jan Alison Edwards. Below are pics of some of the wonderful experimentation by participants.

Stilt Structure I (detail); found & recycled materials

Seed Commission

Thrilled to have been commissioned by Seed Sedgemoor to create installations for a popup in Angel Place Shopping Centre, Bridgwater TA6 3QT from February ’25. Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand & Life in the Undergrowth will be showing 18-23 Feb. Flags of the Forest will open 8–13 April.  I’ll be at the Seed Creative Popup, Angel Place 18-22 Feb, and running Eco Sculpture Workshops daily, 11am-2pm. Free, fun, and open to everyone aged 6+ (children with an adult). Do drop in!

Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand (detail), Together We Rise, Chichester Cathedral. Photo by Anne Purkiss

Flags of the Forest, Wander_Land, Tremenhere Sculpture Gardens

Seed’s primary aim is to enable more people in Sedgemoor to actively engage in the creative arts. This activity is supported by Arts Council England via the Creative People and Places programme.

New Courses

To kick off the New Year I’ll be running a series of 5 week Sketchbooking and Eco Sculpture Courses from January onwards via Frome Community Education, day and eves.  Please visit this link to see them all, for further info, and to book.

Also: Mon eve 7-9pm, 24/2, 10/3, 17/3, 24/3, 31/3

Also: Mon morning 10am-12noon, 13/1, 20/1, 27/1, 3/2, 10/2

I’ll also be running my Online Sculpture Course from 13 January - 9 February ’25. Visit this link for further details or email me fionacampbell-art@sky.com. Alternatively, I have an ongoing self-directed Online Sculpture Course available at half the price.

See my shop for hand-made gifts and artworks. And do follow my instagram for regular updates.

If you missed As Old as the Hills, please visit my previous blog.

Looking forward to some time off over the festive break. Wishing you the same, and a very Happy Christmas! X

Selected for Ingram Prize 2021

Glut, 2018, recycled & found materials. Photo by Mike Garlick

I’m absolutely thrilled to have been selected as a finalist at this year’s Ingram Prize, the leading annual prize for contemporary artists in the UK. 

My selected piece Glut, was created in 2018.  It’s an outpouring, an emotional and physical wailing in response to environmental issues including waste, our consumerist society, factory farming, the plastic oceans, animal extinctions, climate breakdown.  And the loss of our boxer dog.

The materials, especially personal items speak of past lives, loss, textiles, craft. In contrast, the organic forms symbolise death, violence, but also vulnerability and renewal - the duality of horror and tenderness. Materiality and process are part of the message, embedded in the narrative: the work is hand-made, labour-intensive and my use of recycled and found materials relates to our relationship with matter, nature and ourselves. Collecting objects and materials is intrinsic to the process.  

The work is a form of artivism, a suturing in an attempt to heal.  Timely for COP26.

An exhibition of the finalists’ work, including mine, will be held at Unit 1 Gallery/Workshop, 1 Bard Rd, London W10 6TP, Friday 19 - Friday 26 November ’21. I hope you can come!  The winners will be announced on 18 November in London. 

It’s so wonderful to be part of the fantastic line up of artists and prestigious exhibition!

Here’s one of the the latest press articles.

‘From The Inside’

Some of my work from B-Wing, a project I co-curated in 2019, is featured in ‘From The Inside’, a book by Dave Cable, published this year about Shepton Mallet Prison. B-Wing was a 2 week site-responsive arts event in the prison involving 8 artists/writers and special events, part of Somerset Art Works Festival ‘19.

The book has already sold out, which may lead to a second print run. Along with the main book, an extra little booklet was published, devoted to our B-Wing project. It’s a great legacy to our project!

Back in the Studio:

It’s lovely to be back in the studio making again. I’ve been tie dying with various home-made plant inks, stitching, weaving and wrapping. The labour intensive processes are linked to care and repair. 

It took me several days to clear up after a flurry of projects. Due to rain damage, I’ve had to have a new roof made to store some of my work - thanks to Nick Weaver for help with this. I’ve finally made space to develop my next piece based around pangolins and their plight. Pangolins are now an endangered species - the most trafficked mammal in the world.

Exhibition in Taiwan

So glad my work Pyre arrived safely in Taiwan (80+ bound elements), and excited that it will soon be on exhibition at International Biennale, Paper Fiber Art 2021/22, Change: NTCRI, Nantou 54246, Taiwan; 12 Nov-10 April ’22. There will be a film of the exhibition published for the opening - watch this space!

Pyre, 2020, charred found objects (detail)

Forthcoming workshop:

I’ll be running a free Eco Christmas Tree Decoration-making Workshop on 10 Dec ‘21 at The Art Bank, Shepton Mallet BA4 5AD. Inspired by our natural world, you will be creating small sculptural creature or plant forms using recycled and found materials including copper wire and found objects.  We will explore form, texture, pattern, colour…  Materials will be transformed into imaginative, decorative forms.  The workshop will encourage an inventive approach, finding new ways of making.  Ideal for your Christmas Tree or eco hand-made Christmas gifts!

You are welcome to bring along your own collection of colourful beads and buttons to add to your pieces.

Thanks to the support of Shepton Mallet Town Council.

To Book email: fionacampbell-art@sky.com