Ed Elliott - Sculptor of the Verdun Oak
Ed Elliott is the up-and-coming sculptor, chosen to create the Verdun Oak sculpture, which will be unveiled on the site of the Verdun Oak in East Street, Pembridge in Spring 2024.
About the artist
Born in 1985, his formal studies included in Fine Art at the University of Gloucestershire and the Cardiff School of Art & Design, in their leading contemporary Sculpture department. He graduated with a BA(Hons) in Fine Art: Sculpture in 2008. Working closely with a Cardiff Gallery and his late mentor, Ed was selected for his first international exhibition in New York City during his second year of university. In 2010, Ed embarked on a post-graduate apprenticeship in New Zealand. Next, he was selected for an Artist Residency at a rural art space in Wales.
Early works
Ed Elliott’s first large scale public piece of work was commissioned by The National Trust for their ‘Angel Garden’ sculpture exhibition at the Mottisfont Estate in Hampshire. This was his second large ‘Greer’ Angel sculpture, carved from large sections of a London Plane tree sourced from the estate. This celebrated work received national acclaim, was visited by more than 15,000 people in two months. It sold to a prestigious collection in the UK, including work by Antony Gormley, Thomas Heatherwick and Elisabeth Frink. Two more National Trust commissions followed.
Ed has since completed two Public Garden commissions in London, showcased his work 40 floors up in the Southbank Tower and at Chelsea Waterfront. His celebrated large scale ‘Greer, Guardian Angel’ piece received the award for ‘Sculpture of the Year 2020’ at the Cotswold Sculpture Park.
We spoke to him during the Q&A on the Verdun Oak project, hosted at Pembridge Parish Hall in October.
Q. What made you choose sculpture as the medium for your art?
Ed Elliott: “ Working in three dimensions has always appealed to me. I have always been fascinated with the properties in different materials and how they can be worked with sculpturally. My foundation was based in exploring traditional techniques, working with steel, bronze, developing modelling skills, mould making, casting, drawing, etc. I prefer to maintain variety in my work, and I tend not to stick with any given material for too long.
There is a selection of materials I always return to, amongst these are wood and bronze. These two beautiful materials, one organic and impermanent, and one industrial and more permanent, are constantly giving back to me and I am always very excited about starting new works in each.
For me, wood is one of the most satisfying and rewarding materials. I have an elemental fascination with it and I believe you must accept that flexibility and patience is needed to be able to work with wood and communicate with it.”
Q You said that sculpture is a means of communication. What would you like the Verdun Oak sculpture to communicate?
Ed Elliott: “I hope to continue to tell the inspirational story of how the Verdun Oak came to be in Pembridge, using the blank canvass of the fallen tree. I would like to create a space of quiet contemplation. “
Exhibiting widely across the UK and abroad, his large-scale figurative work has attracted nationwide attention in the UK. Ed Elliott’s work is collected globally, and his growing bronze collection is becoming more and more sought after by art collectors worldwide.
You can meet the artist and see inside his creative space at his Open Studio on 10th and 11th November, Trumpet Cafe, Trumpet, near Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2RA.
Kay Ingram
