Creative Sparks Flying at Farmhouse on the Moor
Creating public works of art from metal seems a world away from working as a millwright and engineer, but for sculptor and metalsmith Gary Thrussell it has been a natural progression in creativity.
Now, instead of spending his time in workshops or foundries, he can be found working from his secluded farmhouse on Bodmin Moor in partnership with his son Thomas. Sculptures of giant beetles, mystical thrones and Clay Country chimneys have replaced his days of maintaining hammers, presses and drills.
Gary started his working life as an apprentice maintenance engineer in Essex, but later went to work for a specialist Rolls Royce and Bentley restoration company.
He explains: "I think it was at that period that I learned to be a perfectionist. The company looked after lots of cars of the rich and famous with cars from the turn of the century right through to modern times – and the workshops were immaculate, you could eat off the floor, they were so clean.
"But I always wanted to do something that was more creative. Working on cars takes a lot of skill, but it isn’t creative.
"When I was young I was very interested in nature and would have liked to be a naturalist and that early love of nature has emerged in my work. It is based on organic subjects, although it is often historical in appearance."
One of the father-and-son duo’s latest works is Charlie’s Chimney – one of the sculptures on the China Clay Trail. Situated at the Wheal Martyn Museum near Bugle and made of galvanised mild steel, the piece took about six months to complete and involved workshops with the mining community of Penwithick.
"A lot of our work involves community workshops and most of the people at Penwithick have worked or been involved with the china clay industry," says Gary. "One of the people had a photograph of Charlie and he became a focal point of the work. He was called William Charles Robins and worked for the Great Carclaze Works for more than 50 years. He seemed a very appropriate person to be a focal point.
"Much of our work is commissioned by local authorities or organisations such as the Trust for Endangered Species. We made a radio-controlled stag beetle for them. The work shows two stag beetles fighting and has been taken to shows around the country to make people aware of endangered species."
Gary and his wife Susan adopted Cornwall as their home in 1999 when they and their four children moved down looking for a different way of life. Gary admits to the dream of being totally self- sufficient, but says it would be a full-time job.
"We are fairly self- sufficient here – we have solar panels on the roof, we have some sheep and grow our vegetables in a poly tunnel. We only got electricity last year. Until then we generated our own, but it wasn’t really practical for some of the equipment we needed to use for our work, so we do have electricity now, but I would love to be totally self-sufficient."
In their search for an alternative lifestyle, the couple even educated their children at home, something which Thomas, 21, enjoyed.
"All my life has revolved around my father’s work and I have helped him with it over many years, but deciding what I wanted to do with my life was difficult," he explains. After dropping a course on building studies, he took up welding and fabrication before studying business and marketing.
"I felt that if I was going to do this I needed to ensure that we made money at it," he says. " I have to make a living, but I love doing this and really enjoy being creative and working with metal."
Their work can be seen in various locations around Cornwall. One – a giant’s throne – sits at the edge of the playing field of the primary school in the moorland village of St Breward. Called Aracnathrone, it stands about 8ft tall and features spiders, insects and even the Beast of Bodmin Moor.
"To the children, it is a throne for giants because they have to climb up on to it," says Thomas. "Whoever sits in the chair is meant to tell a story.
"Another of our pieces is at Blisland School and depicts a boundstone in steel with images of farming and animals on it. We did copper beating workshops with the community when we created that."
Works in progress include another chimney and a full-size steam engine front – both destined for Essex – and an information board for the Tamar Road Bridge.
The Thrussells’ work can also be viewed in two separate exhibitions which opened in Devon this weekend. They are exhibiting at The Mythic Gardens Sculpture Exhibition at Stone Lane Gardens, Chagford, and also at Delamore in Cornwood, Ivybridge.
For further information, visit their website, www.thrussellandthrussell.com
Information on the exhibition at Chagford is available on 01647 231311 or at www.mythicgarden.eclipse.co.uk Details on the show at Delamore are available on 01752 837711 or at www.delamore.com
(c) 2008 Western Morning News, The Plymouth (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.