Jon Edgar is a British sculptor of the

Frink School The Frink School of Figurative Sculpture was an art school in Leek, Staffordshire. It was named after the British sculptor Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993). It was a small academy with a specific discipline of study closer in spirit to a ''master ...

Improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

is an important part of his reductive working process and developed from the additive working process of Alan Thornhill. Final works are often autobiographical, perhaps referencing anxieties or pre-occupations at the time. His body of work includes many clay portrait sketches of eminent sitters.

Biography

Born 1968 in

Rustington Rustington is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex. Rustington is approximately at the midpoint of the West Sussex coast and midway between Chichester and Brighton. The A259 runs along the north of Rustington, west ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

, the grandson of animator Brian White. He studied at both

Exeter University The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School o ...

and

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

before attending the former

of Figurative Sculpture for two years from 2000, being awarded The Discerning Eye national bursary for his studies. The '' Environment Triptych'' (2008) features portraits of the independent scientist

James Lovelock James Ephraim Lovelock (26 July 1919 – 26 July 2022) was an English independent scientist, environmentalist and futurist. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating syst ...

(who sat in Devon in 2007), moral philosopher

Mary Midgley Mary Beatrice Midgley (' Scrutton; 13 September 1919 – 10 October 2018) was a British philosopher. A senior lecturer in philosophy at Newcastle University, she was known for her work on science, ethics and animal rights. She wrote her first b ...

(sitting in Newcastle in 2006) and writer

Richard Mabey Richard Thomas Mabey (born 20 February 1941) is a writer and broadcaster, chiefly on the relations between nature and culture. Education Mabey was educated at three independent schools, all in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The first was at Roth ...

(sitting in Norfolk in 2007). Entrepreneur and co-founder of Cass Sculpture Foundation Wilfred Cass sat at Goodwood in 2008. In 2009 the first sittings for the ''

Environment Series The Environment Series Heads developed from the Environment Triptych portrait sculptures by Jon Edgar in 2006. His ongoing series of terracotta clay portraits celebrates those contributing to a sustainable future on Earth. The sculptor observes the ...

'' heads took place, marking some of those who have contributed to a potential better future, with Professor Chris Rapley CBE sitting in

Fittleworth Fittleworth is a village and civil parish in the Chichester (district), District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located west from Pulborough on the A283 road and south east from Petworth. The village has an Anglican church, a primary s ...

, Tim Smit CBE in

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, Peter Randall-Page and Guy Watson in Devon, Gordon Murray in Surrey and

Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who was the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2003 to 2006, 2007 to 2012, and 2016 to 2018. She was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parli ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

. In 2010, clay from the parish of

Compton, Guildford Compton is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Guildford (borough), Guildford district of Surrey, England. It is between Godalming and Guildford. It has a medieval church and a close connection to fine art and pottery, ...

was used for portraits of potter Mary Wondrausch and former Watts Gallery curator

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

both of which became integrated into the Compton Triptych. Wood from the felled Highgrove Cedar of Lebanon at

Highgrove House Highgrove House is the family residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It lies southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England. Built in the late 18th century, Highgrove and its estate were owned by various families until it was pu ...

given by

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

has produced three sculptures in 2010 and 2011. An interesting stone was discovered by Edgar in 2012, being used as a planter in a West Sussex garden. It was subsequently identified as an important Roman sculpture on the theme of ''

Iphigenia in Tauris ''Iphigenia in Tauris'' (, ''Iphigeneia en Taurois'') is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, ''Helen (play), Helen'', as well as the lost play ''Andromed ...

''. A posthumous bust of Lancelot

Capability Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

was created for the tercentenary of Brown's death. Working forensically from the secondary source evidence of contemporary paintings and sketches, the terracotta head was launched in London in 2016 and then exhibited at

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed building, listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of the Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Stowe School and is owned by the Stowe House Preserv ...

, now

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

Work in public collections

Portraits of Antarctic explorer and broadcaster

Duncan Carse Verner Duncan Carse (28 July 1913 – 2 May 2004) was an English explorer and actor known for surveying South Georgia Island, South Georgia and for the portrayal of Special Agent Dick Barton on BBC Radio. Early life Carse was born on 28 July 1 ...

exist in public collections in

South Georgia Museum The South Georgia Museum is situated in Grytviken, near the administrative centre of the UK overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Polar explorers Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild are buried in Grytviken's graveyard. ...

, funded by the South Georgia Association, South Atlantic and at the

Scott Polar Research Institute The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography in the University of Cambridge, located on Lensfield Road in the south ...

, Cambridge University, UK. A bronze of Philippa Scott was unveiled at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

Slimbridge Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. Canal and Patch Bridge The Glou ...

visitor centre in December 2011. A relief carving of a snake charmer was acquired by Surrey University Art Collection in 2012. ’Lewes Group (2010)’: Southover Grange Gardens,

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

‘Portal (2013)’: Hindhead ‘Trisantonis (2014)’: RSPB Pulborough Brooks A 3 tonne

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

block has been worked in public over 2014/5 at Slindon,

and was permanently placed in the National Trust's replanted historic Northwood. A new 7 tonne

block was worked on site at

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

in the Sussex

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. It has three parts, the sandstone "High W ...

throughout 2019, in response to the environment and involving the local community. In September 2021, a new oak block was begun at the end of lockdown in Sutton, West Sussex.

Film appearances

The documentary film on sculptor Alan Thornhill; ''Spirit in Mass - Journey into Sculpture'', which was produced in 2007 with funding from Screen South and UK Film Council, features former students of the

, including Edgar talking about Thornhill's influence on his own work. The creation of the

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter of Irish ancestry. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He we ...

head was coincidentally documented during the filming of the Douglas Arrowsmith documentary ''Memory & Desire: 30 Years in the Wilderness with Stephen Duffy & the Lilac Time''. The film was released at the London Raindance Film Festival in October 2009. The terracotta sculpture forms the CD cover image for the 2009 album by the same name. The 2006 Herefordshire Jigsaw Sculpture outreach project is documented on film.

Articles and publications

''Petworth Society Magazine'' No. 176, pp. 38–41, June 2019 - ''Freelance; the role of art and artist in society'' J.Edgar, Foreword M. Imms (2016). ''A South Downs Year: Creation of the Slindon Stone - The Sculptor’s Journal'' (Hesworth Press) P.Hall, M.Scott, H. Pheby (2013). ''Jon Edgar - Sculpture Series Heads - Terracotta Portraits of Contributors to British Sculpture'' (Hesworth Press in association with The Lightbox and Yorkshire Sculpture Park) E. Black, J. Edgar, K.M.J. Hayward and M. Henig (2012). A New Sculpture of Iphigenia in Tauris. ''Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies'', 43, pp 243–249 doi:10.1017/S0068113X12000244 (Cambridge Journals) ''Lady Scott Commemorated''; Waterlife; April/June 2012 p. 9. ''A Decade of Sculpture in the Garden'', Harold Martin Botanic Garden University of Leicester (2011) p. 30. Meet the artist, ''Surrey Life'' November 2011 p. 156 Archant Press The ''Petworth Magazine'' No. 139, pp. 11–12 2010 - ''Petworth Marble - an update'' The ''Jackdaw Magazine'' Nov/Dec 2009 - ''Portrait Sculpture: A Neglected Form?'' p. 10. The ''Petworth Magazine'' No. 132, pp. 10–11 2008 - ''A contemporary search for Petworth Marble'' Responses - Carvings and Claywork (2008) has a foreword by Sir

Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...

and features other terracotta portraits of eminent sitters who all agreed to sit for Edgar including sculptors Alan Thornhill, Nicolas Moreton and Ken Ford, historian Sir

, conservationist Lady Philippa Scott (widow of Sir

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservation movement, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and Sportsperson, sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Fal ...

), entrepreneur Stuart Wheeler, industrialist Sir John Harvey-Jones and songwriter and musician

. Timothy Mowl's 2007 publication on the Historic Gardens of Oxfordshire includes the landscape of

Asthall Manor Asthall Manor is a gabled Jacobean Cotswold manor house in Asthall, Oxfordshire. It was built in about 1620 and altered and enlarged in about 1916. The house is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England. Early in the 20th centu ...

, home to the biennial

stone sculpture In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

event where reference is made to Edgar "coaxing his stone into semi-figurative forms of brooding power, as in his 'Wight Man'." and 'Arch'.

References

External links