charles westgarth
Mediums Used
Charles Westgarth was born 1977 in central London against a background of musical theatre, the artist spent much of his childhood in the company of dancers and performing artists, an experience that would later resurface in his work.
Charles Westgarth later obtained a Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design and continued to achieve a First Class Honours Degree in Model Design. His development as an artist therefore evolved through a range of disciplines and life experiences, initially working on various film and television projects followed by a career in product model making. He continued to develop and perfect his skills as a practitioner. This work would then contribute to his long term plans to travel, the journey covering parts of South East Asia, Australia and Europe.
On returning to the UK Charles Westgarth opened his Hertfordshire studio and began personal and commissioned sculpture. Bronze has been his chosen medium and more recently marble after having spent several summers in Greece on the Cycladic Island of Tinos learning the traditional methods of marble carving under local artist and artisan Petros Dellatollas.
Charles has undertaken a selection of commissions both private and corporate including sculptures for Gilead Sciences, Grove Design interior designers, Amwell View school Hertfordshire, two large scale bronze`s for P&O`s new luxury cruise ship `Azura`, restoration of a war memorial for Bermondsey and Rotherhithe council, Dulwich Hamlet FC London and in 2005 won a public commission for Ware town centre in Hertfordshire. He exhibits in many galleries and participates in group exhibitions across England and more recently in Belgium and Cyprus. Charles` sculptures can be found in collections throughout the UK and Europe and as far off as the Philippines.
“My fascination with the beauty of natural form manifests itself in my work on a variety of levels and from different approaches, therefore my self expression is most easily translated in to form through a series of themes, such as Dance, Movement, Energy, Evolution, Transition, Fluidity etc.”
Dance and Movement
In this series of bronze Charles Westgarth explores the expressive nature and communication of dance. Understanding emotion to be the single driving force allows the artist to successfully convey feeling through the movement in his work. With careful interpretation he translates the physical narrative of dance in to slender elegant forms, extracting only the essential line and curve required to capture their specific energy and motion.
Creation and Evolution
In this latest series Charles focuses his attention on the subject of evolution, the elements required for creation and the devices nature employs to combat the struggle of growth in life. Nurture, protection, travel, adaptation, development, transition are all addressed in this series of organic forms. Each piece combines the line and form of a number of nature`s creations, seeds, shoots, shells and human anatomy among them. Twisting and spiralling upward with fluid movement through curves and counter curves the pieces are symbolic of progress and evolution as they morph and shift in shape and direction.
Sculptures by charles westgarth
Credentials
Qualifications
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts
Sep 97 - Jun 00 BA Hons Model Design 1st Class
Sep 96 - Jun 97 BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Merit.,University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts
Sep 97 - Jun 00 BA Hons Model Design 1st Class
Sep 96 - Jun 97 BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Merit.Exhibitions
yes
Awards
Winner of public sculpture competition for Ware town centre, Hertfordshire, 2005
Awarded a business grant by the `James Marshall Foundation`, Harpenden, Herts, 2002
Winner of the `Model Design Industry Award` 2000 at the `New Designers` exhibition,
Business Design Centre, Islington, London
- Winner of the university prize for Model Design 2000 at the University of Hertfordshire.
Charles Westgarth writes....My development as an artist has evolved through a range of disciplines and experiences, initially special effects and production quality model making. I began sculpting professionally in the summer of 2002 following a tour of Europe.
I am fascinated by the dynamic energy and mood encapsulated within the medium of dance, and with careful interpretation how those qualities can be enhanced to enable their successful translation to a sculpture that embraces the essence of movement.
Personal Commissions
Jan 2011 Private Commission Portrait bust of baby girl, bronze
June 2010 Private Commission Life size boy playing Cricket, bronze
May 2010 Private Commission Abstract Form, Belgian Black marble
Mar 2010 Private Commission Coat of Arms, Low Releif, bronze
Mar 2010 Private Commission Mother and Child - life size, bronze
Jan 2009 Azura P and O Cruises 2x Large scale bronzes for new cruise ship Azura
Nov 2008 Rotherhithe Council Sculptural Restoration, War Memorial, bronze
Apr 2008 Private Commission (Collie Dogs), Chivers and Benson, 1:6 scale, bronze
Dec 2006 Private Commission (Doberman Portrait Bust), Crufts winner `05, bronze
Aug 2006 Dulwich Hamlet FC (Lorrain Wilson), releif portrait of founder, bronze,
Dulwich FC, London
July 2006 Private Commission (For Life), small scale figurative sculpture, bronze.
Nov 2005 Private Commission (Flamenco), large scale figurative sculpture, bronze.
Oct 2005 Ware Town Council (Untitled), large scale public commission for (on going) the market square, Ware town centre, Hertfordshire
Jul 2005 Private Commission (Toby), portrait bust, chocolate Labrador, bronze.
Jan 2005 Amwell View School (Fluid Form), large scale abstract sculpture,
Aluminium, Hertfordshire
Nov 2004 Private Commission (Eleftheria), fiber glass
Sep 2004 Private Commission (Mr. P. Moles), terracotta plaster.
Jan 2004 Private Commission (Grey Salute), race horse, 1:5 scale, bronze
Jan 2003 Gilead Sciences (Viread), company logo, onyx resin, Cambridge
Jul 2002 Private Commission (Flick), bust of a horse, 1:2 scale, bronze resin
Self Employed
Trading as Charles Westgarth Sculpture, Beech Hyde Farm
Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
Jan 02 to date My work covers, portraiture, figurative and abstract sculpture in bronze, marble and stone and metal resins, modeling in clay, plastiline, plaster, polystyrene or directly in stone. My work also includes mould making, enlargement, restoration, metal chasing and patination of personal and commissioned work.
Freelance Work
Aug 11 to date MDM Props - Sculpture, model making and fabrication
Herne Hill Road, Herne Hill, London
Sculpture projects undertaken - Swan and Bat boy for Raquib Shaw (Chasing and finishing)
Rocking Horse Boy (new sculpture for the Fourth Plinth Trafalgar square) for artists Elmgreen and Dragset (sculpting)
5m Orchids for Marc Quinn (sculpting)
Bronze Age Sculpture Casting Foundry, Limehouse, Docklands, London.
May 11 to date Metal chasing, welding
Milwyn Casting - Art Foundry, Highlands farm, Leatherhead, Surrey.
Sep 10 to date Metal chasing, wax chasing and mirror finish polishing in bronze.
Zahra Modern Art Foundries, Braintree, Essex
Aug 10 to date Wax casting and chasing, running up of wax casts and investing in ceramic shell, mould making, metal chasing, origination, polystyrene carving, patination. Enlargement of art works for Nasser Azam.
ATOM Creative Solutions and Thorp architectural model makers
Sunningdale, Berkshire
Aug 01 - Dec 01 Fabrication of toy prototypes, product models, architectural models, paint finishing with airgun/airbrush.
Band of Brothers - film for television, Prosthetics Dept.
Hatfield Herts
Dec 00 Prosthetic sculpture and on-set assisitant
ATOM Creative Solutions and Thorp architectural model makers
Sunningdale, Berkshire
Jul 00 - Nov 00 Fabrication of toy prototypes, product models architectural models, paint finishing with airgun/airbrush.
Travelling
Jan 01 - Jul 01 South East Asia, Australia and Europe
Work Placement
Artem, Perivale, Middlesex
Jan 99 - Jul 99 Prop fabrication, physical effects, sculpture, welding.
