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Ian’s railings are his interpretation of a theme developed for the look and construction of the exit gates leading to Coinross. Ron Boyd, as Artist in Residence, in June 2002, was commissioned to transform the transitional area between Taurus Crafts and the newly located Coinross Garden Centre. Previously the area was used as a rear staff entrance and ‘goods-in’ area for the Gift Shop.

Since leaving the Royal College of Arts in the 1970’s Ron had confined himself to working in oils on canvas, developing a reputation as one of the Forest of Dean’s finest landscape painters. Here was a new departure and a new challenge. This would be Ron’s first public artwork.
Ron’s Wind and Flow includes both the gate and the planted artwork on the sidewall to the Pottery and was inspired by the wind-flows through the

passageway into the courtyard. The varying strengths and eddies of these flows –
generally stronger as
they gain altitude - are reflected in the rhythms of the metalwork. At first, Ron proposed using
a re-occurring ‘elemental motif’. He planned to
incorporate this into the gates, into the wall
and even into the floor. It might even re-occur in other places throughout the centre. The shape of the motif, and the need for the gates to fulfil their function, suggested that a suitable material for the motif would be wire. Cinderford-based company, Leoni Temco, supported the initiative by providing different gauges and colours of wire, together with helpful suggestions as to the practicality of forming the motifs.


After many trials, Ron eventually decided that a balloon-shaped image could more reliably fulfil the practical considerations and become the reproducible element. The sinusoidally curved metal bars that appear in both gates, reminiscent of isobars, are filled with wire balloons and form a complete composition when both gates are in the closed position. When the gates are open the form of the image continues onto the pottery wall, using wire and paint, and the two sections of the artwork become one.
 
The gate’s metalwork was originally painted a silvery-grey, but once Ian’s railings appeared alongside them in their untreated state, Ron agreed that the gates should also be ‘distressed’ in order to achieve a similar appearance.

Ron added a small image of a wind-blown Roman temple on the upper part of the wall. Since there is in fact a Roman temple site to the North of Taurus he wanted to suggest the building being carried off in the winds of time, rather like the fate that will befall the current buildings and artwork. The piece is completed by the addition of plantings of Clematis tangutica whose fluffy silver-coloured seed heads, naturally dispersed by wind, will re-enforce the windblown message. Emerging from a balloon shaped container, made in the Taurus pottery, the plant will be led off on wires in the direction of the wind-flow. In time it will envelope much of the image on the wall, countering the idea of the eroding buildings.
 

Trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Royal College of Art. M.A.

Solo exhibitions at: Heatherly Gallery, London; New 57 Gallery, Edinburgh; AIR Gallery, London; Guildhall Arts Centre, Gloucester; Hereford City Art Gallery; Dean Heritage Gallery

Selected Group exhibitions include: Piccadilly Gallery, London; Western Australia International Drawing, Perth; Upper Street Gallery, London; Fischer Fine Art, London; John Moore’s Exhibition, Liverpool; Hayward Gallery, London; Royal Academy, London; Sofiero, Sweden

Awards include: Drumfork Travelling Scholarship; Chalmers-Jervise Prize (Royal Scottish Academy); Perth and Kinross Trust Scholarship; Arts Council Award; Greater London Arts Award; First Prize, Spirit of London Painting Competition; Gloucestershire Art Teacher’s Fellowship; Victor Moody Award, Malvern Open Drawing Competition

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