David Nash
Black & Light. 5 June - 21 July 2001

David Nash is Britain's leading environmental sculptor. His long held interest and concern for ecology and the environment, combined with his imagination and considerable skill in the transformation of fallen or uprooted trees, has resulted in sculpture and drawings that have stimulated both museum and gallery visitors, as well as collectors worldwide.

From his studio (a former chapel) in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, where he first engaged the elements of Nature and Time in sculpture, Nash has spent his life exploring the possibilities of form inherent in trees and timber. A life-long researcher into the language of wood, his sculptures combine the remote rugged environment of North Wales with an ability to draw out the subtle nuances of different woods.

The current exhibition concentrates on four concerns of his recent sculpture and drawings. Firstly there are the latest drawings and documentation celebrating a culmination of his famous "Ash Dome" project. Nash has tended a nine metre circle of 22 ash trees since he planted them, in the depths of the Cold War and economic gloom of 1977, to form a domed space which is now over five metres high. Sometimes referred to as a 'living tree henge' Nash intended the sculpture to be an act of faith in the future - a sculpture created in the 20th for the 21st Century.

Secondly, a selection of dense black charred wall reliefs is shown that have a strong meditative presence. Bringing the element of fire to transform wood surfaces to carbon has featured in his work over many years. A second element, air, is used by Nash to help create the warped shapes within the deeply incised cuts of the forms that make up three large vertical sculptures that are displayed .

Finally, to coincide with the recent publication of the book on his 'Twmp' sculptures and drawings by the Seren Press, a selection of new drawings and sculptures will be shown. 'Twmp' is an abbreviation of twmpath, which is Welsh for a 'mound' or 'pile', but is used locally in connection with the marvellous yew hedges of Powis Castle that were planted over 300 years ago. As Nash commented, "I was awe struck when I first encountered these yew forms. I had never before seen such a freedom in topiary shaping, nor such size ........... they seem to float or drift about the garden like green clouds". The 'twmp' series of sculptures and drawings are David Nash's latest response to some of the extraordinary forms he has found in the world where human intervention and nature connect.