Portrait of the Duke of Gloucester

My portrait of the Duke of Gloucester was unveiled yesterday in London.

It was a lovely occasion, which followed the fabulous pageantry of the installation of the Chancellor of the Order of St John.

My very great thanks to St John's for the commission, to HRH the Duke of Gloucester for his kind hospitality while sitting for the portrait, to John Hemsley for overseeing the whole project and to my 2 very talented assistants: Ian Shipton and Adam Rush for helping out with the sculpting when I was unwell.

The portrait will be housed permanently now in the Museum at St John's Gate in London.

Portrait of HRH Duke of Gloucester By Kate Newlyn

PORTRAIT OF H.R.H. THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

By Kate Newlyn

Assisted by Ian Shipton and Adam Rush



 

1) Measurements & photo session. 

 

 

 

2) Carving basic shape from polystyrene foam
     Applying a thick coat of PVA to the foam,
     Applying a 2nd coat, with added texture.
     Allowing to dry (approx. 48 hours)

 

                      

3) Cutting wax from block and applying to foam

 

 

4)  Basic shape, from eye only at this stage (no measurements)

 

5) Sculpting with reference to measurements at this point

 

 

 6) Sitting with subject to clarify details.

 

 

 

7) Completed wax sculpture. Medallion in pink wax.  Glasses made from copper wire.

    Ready for casting.

 

 

Creativity Cruise

Creativity Cruise - 2015

June 29th - July 6th

This summer's Sculpture Course in Turkey has undergone a bit of a "Sea-Change" ...

I'm still combining workshops with a beautiful boat cruise - along the south west coast of Turkey, on a large luxury boat - but this year there'll be a variety of workshops on offer each morning, rather than just Sculpture.

I've opened the doors (or lowered the gang-plank rather) to various other teachers who like the idea and want to join me.

This is primarily as a result of my recently acquired MS - and the difficulty I'd find in running a whole week's course on my own - but its also because its actually a really nice idea!

None of us will be charging any Tutor Fees, we'll be offering our services just for the love of it.
So the cost of the Course will actually be £200 cheaper than it has been before.
The only cost will be that of chartering the boat and your air fare of course.

Altogether there'll be 6 Artist/Teachers and places for 6 lucky guests to join us.

The workshops will include:
Sculpture, Group Harmony-Singing, Yoga, Meditation and Creative Writing.

Bookings are taking place now and the boat is beginning to fill up so if this is something you'd like to come on, you'd better get  your oar in fast!

There's a full page on my website - which gives all details of the boat and accounts of past cruises.

Website address is: www.katenewlyn.com

(please note I use my full name for my web address as opposed to an abbreviated name for my personal email address)

The Sap which Flows Through Leave and Wing

Beneath this foreign sky,

Beside this foreign shore,

I lie on stones which hold me,

Warmed by my blood, they mould to me.

Ancient rock now pounded to a pearl

Whispering songs of Immortality.

Share with me your secrets,

Tell me of the force which courses through you,

Sing to me the song that once we naturally knew,

Of sap that flows through leaf and wing.

Sing to me again your songs of immortality.

Because I think I know now,

Think I'm learning to un-learn and free

The force which drives the sun and sand and sea,

To recognise again the tune

That hums through all of us in sweet simplicity.

Invisibly and quietly it moves,

Unheard, unnoticed and unseen

Until one day, we may, if we are still enough,

Awaken to the voices of the sea

And so, along with stone and leaf and wing

We find that we already know

The song that sings of Immortality.

Crow High - Freedom

FREEDOM

Sculpture and Poem 

by Kate Newlyn ~ July 2014

A tumble of red roofs at dawn,

Rose tiled against a wakening sky,

Ribboned and ribbed

With finger-prints of vapour

Like the map of a child.

I live with birds now.

Free.

And though I've “heard them singing, each to each...” *

I have no doubt they'll also sing to me.

~ ~ ~

Over there, a fellow fledgling swallow

On a wire,

She'll learn to read these maps now too

And I shall follow.

Out of the mire,

The grey-ginnell'd,

Tunnel-tight, light-lack

At my back,

And into the gentle blue.

Here, crow-high,

I've learned to fly again,

And in the wide-sky'd innocence of dawn

I am re-born.

~ ~ ~

Footnote: * quotation taken from T.S Eliot's: The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock  

I'll be publishing a book later on this year - a collection of sculptures and poems.
If you'd like to see a few of these images meanwhile though, go to my website: http://www.katenewlyn.com/