artists register

Introduction

Janis Ridley RSS

Janis Ridleys bronze figures breathe with the life of the material in which they are made.They hold their own in a very natural and earthy way and yet contain a metaphorical significance, a sense of being human and of bringing to the temporal world a contemplative quality of timelessness. There is little rhetoric or religious posturing here-though Ridleys sculptures have found ideal settings in great cathedrals like Winchester , Exeter and York Minster and upright medium -sized pieces like Isness ,Icarus or Messenger with Bird seem like outdoor sentinels of both secular and spiritual quality.

In a more recent series of Man and Horse sculptures articulated in small ,medium and large scale variations.Ridley engages, grapples almost, with the difficult process of merging two seperate formsin a human and animal composite.Like Marino Marini and his English equivalents Liz Frink and Robert Clatworthy ,Ridley establishes a majestic upright strength, a beautiful accord between horse and rider. 

 Peter Davies author of Michael Kenny Sculpture ,The Sculpture of John Milne,

After Trewyn,St Ives sculptors since Hepwoth.

Statement

For me, sculpture is a process of uncovering hidden ideas from deep within the self.The most compelling works often arise spontaneously ,small pieces that seem to materialise directly through my hands .This visceral,intuitive 'inthe flow' 'approach remains a defining strength of my practise .

Larger sculptures carry a different power. As they unfold,they bring clarity and depth to the pyschological intention, revealing themselves gradually in a process that is both grounding and expansive.

Wax is central to my work. Fluid ,soft and endlessly malleable,it is forgiving and recyclable, holding no memory of form. Its responsiveness allows me to  contiunally shift proportions, creating new senses of scale and balence that open imaginative possibilities.

My influences are deeply embedded in tactile and psychological memory: from Monoan art and Italian Rennaissance masters, to Buddhist and Hindu sculpture of India and Far East, and to modern figures such as Giacometti , Bancusi , Moore Frink and Louise Bourgeois.

recuring themes include Family,Mother and Child, Figure and Horse ,Angelic Figures and architypal male and female forms.These works explore indidual identity and relaytionships- interconncted like feathers in abirds wing.My Man and Horse series,for instance ,reflects the intimate ,paradoxical bond of ease,toughness,vulnerability ,and enigma.

Big sculpture.

Making large sculpture is like plunging into deep water- a transformative,immersive journey where the physical and the intuitive meld into a powerful act of creation.

When you work with large amounts of materials the process becomes a conversation between body and matter.The process demands a willingness to be physically and emotionally vulnerable-an immersion that reshapes both the material and the maker.

Its as if each stage,and there are nine stages,connects more deeply to ones own strength celebrating the raw unbridled power of doing.

In this process, intuition is my indispensible guide. ,making large work means stepping into the unknown,

trusting that your instincts will navigate you through unchartered territory. Just as swimming in dep water requires letting go to feel the currents, so does working with large forms demands surrendering to the moment. This is an exploratory dialogue between ones inner voice and the tangible materials often revealing unexpected answers. It is both chalenging and empowering. The sculpture then reveals a form as both a physical presence and the fusion of movement, intuition,and discovery.

Biography