Richard Fox

Ravel in H, IV - 2019 - Sycamore Wood, Earth Pigment and Sandstone Sculpture

2019

Working to drawings and sketches, Fox brings the flow of his pencil lines to life, with the form and void of each sculpture giving them a natural rhythm. In his wooden works, Fox shows unique skill in creation using sycamore and natural pigment, each sculpture twisted and turned, sanded and varnished to withstand temperature variation and moisture changes. Using techniques derived from those of boat-builders, Fox crafts timber into intricate forms inspired by musical scores, for example Ravel. Each section is bonded to make the visually delicate structure remarkably resilient. Works are then fixed to a sandstone base using a stainless steel pin and shaft which allows them to rotated for different angles of viewing. "The sculptures take time to make. I visualise a space, a void, and sketch a shape to fill it. This is to describe the process in its simplest way. In the act of sketching, I am trying to achieve a form that works as a whole. The combinations of material and shape in both the sculpture and space within the curves. The making of the sculpture from this point becomes very exacting and involves intense concentration. Working out exact angles, twists and curves, there is very little room for error. Then, the sculpting begins, using a variety of tools and skills that have been developed over the years... There are a lot of processes in making the sculpture and all of them have taken time to evolve. I think some of the most satisfying times for me include the point at which I am by myself, in the studio, and having completed a work, I place it on the plinth. There is a sense of us having been on a long journey that is now at an end. I am looking at something that did not exist before this moment. It is looked at for the first time, with all that involves."