ian marlow mrbs
sculptor
The Somerset town of Frome is rapidly gaining a reputation as
the place to be for anyone involved in the arts and just a few
miles away lies the small village of Buckland Dinham which is
home to the sculptor Ian Marlow.
Ian is a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and
works in stainless steel and glass, creating sculptures for
private clients as well as corporate and public bodies such as
NHS Trusts and schools.
“The thing I love about commissions,” he said, “…is that they let
me explore ideas I may not have otherwise considered.” And with
that comes new inspiration and sometimes new methods,
which he then takes back to his own studio work. A recent
example of this was a commission to make two sculptures for
the new Community Hospital at Bridgwater, one of which was
a fourteen meter long sculpture in stainless steel. The brief for
this asked for it to reflect something from the previous 200
year history of the town and Ian decided that stained glass
would be the ideal medium for that, but that meant learning a
new skill. It was a challenge he relished:
“One of the great things about working in any of the arts,” he
said, “is that you are always learning new things and seeking
new challenges to further your own experience and develop your
work.”
As well as several commissions for new academies in London,
other recent commissions have included a large wall sculpture
in stainless steel and fused glass for a newly created design
studio at a preparatory school and a 2 metre tall stainless
steel sculpture for a housing development which is due to be
completed for early in 2016.
At the moment he is putting the finishing touches to a steel
and glass sculpture for a retreat in Northumberland. Ian takes
his commission work very seriously. “I always say that it’s part
of my job to make it easy for the client. Anyone commissioning
a sculpture, whether a private customer, architect or designer,
needs to have confidence in the artist they’ve commissioned, and
communication is the key ingredient to providing that confidence.
I always keep clients fully updated as the sculpture progresses so
that they can get on with their own work knowing that it will be
ready when they need it.”
In between doing commissions, Ian is always creating new
sculptures for major exhibitions or for display in his own
sculpture garden. Here visitors can meet him and discuss
their own requirements or purchase a sculpture on display.
Visiting an artist at his studio, seeing the work and where it’s
made, adds a personal touch to what can be a major purchase
and many people prefer this. It is also, Ian believes, good for
the artist too and he always welcomes visitors, although it is
advisable to plan your visit to ensure that he will be there. With
prices starting at about £1000, Ian’s sculptures range in size
from smaller interior and garden pieces to large scale public
works.
To contact Ian, telephone 01373 471711 or visit his
website: www.marlowsculpture.co.uk
28 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 14