(Unedited text from the portfolio binders – needs reworking – and perhaps the autobiography at the end should be incorporated elsewhere?)
JOHN R. ASHWORTH
A SELECTION OF SCULPTURE
1970-1998
JOHN R. ASHWORTH MA RCA, ARBS
East Studio
Old St. Patrick’s School
37 Buxton Street
London E1 5EH
telephone:
fax:
0171 247 6341
0171 377 2754
Born in London 21 May 1942
1997 Elected Associate of the Royal Society of British
Sculptors
EDUCATION
- 1971-74 – Studied sculpture at the Royal College of Art,
London; awarded the degree of Master of Arts of the Royal
College of Art
- 1968-71 – Studied sculpture at Manchester College of Art and
Design; awarded Diploma in Art and Design with First Class
Honours and Diploma of Associateship of Manchester College
of Art and Design, with Distinction
- Attended schools in England and Canada
EXHIBITIONS
1996 – Studio Show, Garboldisham, Norfolk
1992 – London Contemporary Arts Group Show, London
1992 – One-man Show, Chesil Gallery, Portland, Dorset
1986 – Studio Show, London
1983 – Studio Show, London
1982 – Central College of Art Gallery Show, London
1980-81 – ‘The Human Factor’ Arts Council Touring Exhibition
1980 – Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1980 – Studio Show, London
1979 – Serpentine Gallery, London
1979 – Central College of Art Group Show, London
1978 – Royal Academy, London
1977 – Portsmouth Polytechnic Group Show
1976 – ‘New Work 2’, Hayward Gallery, London
1975 – One-man Show, Park Square Gallery, Leeds
1975 – Space Open Studio Show, London
1974 – Royal Exchange Group Show
1970 – Northern Young Contemporaries Exhibition and
British Tour
COLLECTIONS
Public Collections
- Arts Council of Great Britain: Equilibrium II; Equilibrium III
- City of Nottingham Arts Department, George Green
- Memorial Museum: maquette
- Leicestershire Education Authority: Counterpoise II; Counterpoise III
- Manchester Metropolitan University: Black Room unit I
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines: Propulsion, SS Grandeur of the Seas; Tri-global, SS Grandeur of the Seas; Perpetuity, SS Rhapsody of the Seas; Sands of Time clock sculpture, SS Sovereign of the Seas
Private Collections
- Dr Carl Nelson, Topsfield, Mass., USA: Equilibrium I
- Hans and Dot B0hler, Gjettum, Norway: Counterpoise I
- Mr and Mrs R. Noble, London: Equilibrium IV
- Kenneth Draper, Minorca, Spain: Black Room unit II
- William Bailey, Manchester: Black Room unit III
- Unilever: Bronze bust
COMMISSIONS
1997 Perpetuity, SS Rhapsody of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
1996 Propulsion, SS Grandeur of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
1996 Tri-global, SS Grandeur of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
1988 Bronze bust, Unilever
1988 Sands of Time clock sculpture, SS Sovereign of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
1978 St. Peter’s in the Fields church, Leeds
1973 St. Francis of Assisi church, Bradford
1971 St. Margaret’s church, Clitherow, Grassington, Yorkshire
1970 St. Peter in Chains church, Doncaster
AWARDS
1978 Arts Council of Great Britain, Major Award
1974 Arts Council of Great Britain, Award
TEACHING
1989 – Central School of Art, London
1988 – Royal Academy of Art
1988 – Royal Academy of Art
1976-86 – Central School of Art, London
1978-80 – Bristol College of Art
1976-79 – Portsmouth College of Art
1974-78 – Homsey College of Art
Teaching Visits
- Manchester Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design
- Leicester College of Art
- Goldsmiths College, University of London
- Royal College of Art
- Chelsea College of Art
- Royal Academy of Art
ENGINEERING
1962-65 – Designed textile machines (two patents established), Nottingham
1960-62 – Design Draughtsman at Rolls Royce Aero Engines, Derby
1958-60 – Draughtsman, Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon, Quebec, Canada
JOHN R. ASHWORTH
SCULPTOR
I have always had a strong feeling for the three dimensional
world. I made sculpture from an early age, but as a boy I was
persuaded to put my talents into engineering, a field in which
there was a strong family tradition and which appeared to
offer a secure future.
In 1960 my first full-time job was at Rolls Royce Aero
Engines, in the Drawing Office. This was followed by a period
designing textile machines in the Midlands. It was there, at
the age of 24, that I lost out on some patent designs and
decided to do what I had always wanted to do make
sculpture. I spent the next seven years at Manchester School
of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. During this
period I was able to explore the aesthetics and principles of
engineering in many of my sculptures, using a wide variety of
materials. This work was in striking contrast to a series of
figurative ecclesiastical commissions for the Roman Catholic
Church, undertaken towards the end of my period at the Royal
College of Art.
After leaving College, I kept my studio running by teaching at
a number of art colleges until budget cuts made it difficult to
operate in a worthwhile manner and I decided to give up
teaching. For many years I supported myself and my
sculpture – by creating special effects for films. It was in
the late 1980s that I decided to concentrate exclusively on
sculpture, a decision made easier by a large commission: the
‘Sands of Time’ clock sculpture.
In my sculpture I attempt to express my sense of wonder at
the magic of fundamental things: space; time; infinity;
energy; tension; mass; balance; the qualities inherent in
materials; in particular the changing relationships between
moving forms and the implication of potential movement.
Taking engineering for a walk 