|
This interesting and very unique commission began with a discussion about ideas to support an ironstone arch.
Since the customer is passionate about ferns, this soon progressed into the concept of creating a gate made entirely from metal ferns!
The work is as much a piece of sculpture as it is a functional gate.
The gate was made without using a conventional frame or straight lines. Instead, it features a creative blend of lady fern fronds, hart's tongue fern leaves and fiddleheads carefully placed for strength, function and effect.
The ferns' pinnae (leaflets) were individually hand shaped for life and expression.
They feature a grooved stem which gives them strength and adds to the 3D sculptural quality of the gate.
The fronds were assembled by carefully placing each pinna so that the ferns gracefully unfurl in a very naturalistic manner.
Each pinnule (tip) was slightly domed to give them character and hint at spores when viewed from the back.
Special consideration was given to the design of the latch. Although it is a functional detail, it blends seamlessly into the concept of the gate being made only from ferns or fern detailing.
The finish is aged galvanised steel that will weather into an attractive powdery grey white reminiscent of old lead. This darkens to an equally as attractive mottled grey black when wet.
|
|
|
