william ashley norman
Mediums Used
The artist William Ashley-Norman has been working with Chickenwire for over thirty years. A happened upon talent, he has spent many years creating an entire menagerie of animals, as well as figures, portraits and the occasional oddity.
The single sheet relief figures are something else entirely. These are formed by hand with the slow manipulation of the wire to create a flow to the piece. Working slowly, the wire is formed little by little to create and mould into shape the form required, as the work continues, the subject begins to emerge from the wire and is coaxed and refined until eventually the vision in the mind is created. This style of work does away with strong join lines and leads to a much more delicate sculpture with a light and ethereal quality, a much more serene vision.
The wire coil sculptures are made from 3 different gauges of wire, 3mm to form the skeleton, 1.6mm for muscle and 0.8mm for skin. The wire coil pieces have an excellent tactile feel about them and the pieces are created to accentuate movement of the forms.
Sculptures by william ashley norman
Credentials
Exhibitions
yes
William Ashley-Norman has been creating these wire sculptures for over thirty years. It all started when asked by his father to help clear some wire fencing from the garden. This promptly turned into a dragon.
Since that time, the artist has continued to challenge himself in his chosen medium.
The artist visits schools throughout the country and teaches a sculpture workshop based on his chickenwire work. Since 2012 over 20,000 pupils have been taught in hundreds of schools. This and the creation of a sculpture kit and a book of templates has been the artists focus. Full details can be found at chickenwired.com.
