Blog 9 - March 2022
All Yoxmen have nice bums!
Yes, I did say this to a great sculptor Laurence Edwards in a professional meeting.
Yesterday I went to his workshop space for the first time where the A12 Yoxman was built. We have covered many subjects (including Yoxman sculpture bum), but most of all I was intrigued by his artistic journey, current projects, and the processes of these magnificent sculptures.
Laurence Edwards, the genius of Suffolk, England, is known for his grand sculpture figures like The Greek Men, A Rich Seem, The Patternist, Yoxmen. Not only he creates sculptures, but he also connects them with environment, which then interacts with his creations.
As we walked through the workshops my fingers were roaming around raw artworks and materials. I could not believe how much goes into creating these masterpieces.
From plaster to clay there are many steps to execute. Heat resistant moulds contain the wax sections. These sections then go into the kiln for 48hours, the wax will melt out leaving a negative space for the bronze to fill, baring in mind that bronze is cleaned before being poured into the moulds. This is just what I remember, it is a lot more to it and I would love to be a fly on his workshop wall for a bit longer to observe that.
Here are some of my favourite answers from a whole ‘Meet the Artist’ experience:
When do you know that the artwork is finished?
I have lots of sculptures on a go, this helps me shift the focus and reflect on a work that I have already done. I spend months and months on sculpting and then I get to the point where the sculpture starts to dry, and he starts to resist me. Then it is a drying/sculpting process until he says no more, that is when I stop.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist for you?
To balance time in a studio with other commitments, that’s why I have boundaries, such as no work on a weekend. Thanks to my wife, who is a strong woman, for keep pulling me out to reality.
Do you have a mentor or a coach?
Brian Taylor, I have worked with him for many years. That’s where I have learned the ancient processes of sculpting.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
Not being brave enough in my early years, not approaching galleries, just not being confident enough.
If you could have dinner with any person (dead or alive) who would that be?
Italian Renaissance creatives dinner party. I would like to spend at least a year in a circle to get to know better and to understand the thought process behind the closed door.
Is there something else you would like to achieve that you haven’t yet?
I would like to create tribes, complete environments; multiple figures in landscapes having a dialog with each other, interacting, and creating a philosophy around it.
Laurence is not only amazing at what he does, but he is amazing as a person, who is sculpting footprints in a history of Suffolk and in people’s hearts.
As an art student I am grateful for such opportunity to see behind the scenes of his expertise, I have learned a lot from it. As a person I am honoured that he opened his doors to me, I feel inspired and empowered.
Perhaps you know someone who would be interested in wanting to have a remarkable history in their garden (we need quite a big one, I am talking acres and acres).
Laurence Edwards
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenceedwards.bronze
Blog: https://laurenceedwards.wordpress.com
P.S. No, I did’t stop the traffic on A12 and I didn’t enter a private land to take a selfie with a Yoxman. I also didn’t create a video about it :)
