Metal sculptures can be found all over the country and beyond. They grace our parks, public spaces and private gardens, providing hours of pleasure to people of all ages and walks of life.
We take them for granted, as we do most works of art we see, but it pays to remember every now and then that behind every metal sculpture is a talented and creative artist.
Now the search is on to find the next big talent in a national competition being run by Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
According to Art Fund, the award-winning Yorkshire Sculpture Park has more than 60 sculptures in the open air by internationally acclaimed artists such as Henry Moore and James Turrell.
Inspiring artists
The Park has teamed up with major metal supplier Metals4U to discover a new talented sculptor who works with metal. It aims to encourage young artists already working with the medium and to inspire other artists to try it out for the first time.
Sculptors have been submitting examples of their work to the competition, including proposed projects, so a shortlist of the best can be drawn up.
Winner of the competition will not only be able to claim a title, but they will also gain a place at a weekend workshop in June at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park headed by metal artist Brian Fell. The winning prize is worth £270.
Metal sculptures
Fell is best known for creating large metal sculptures. You can see examples of his work all over the country, including in Manchester, Morecambe, Cardiff, Jersey and Plymouth. One of his most famous works is The Sheffield Nativity, which can be found in Sheffield Cathedral.
One of the most beautiful types of metal sculpture is a corten metal sculpture, such as those available at http://www.afsculpture.uk/scuplture-portfolio/corten-metal-sculptures. These are specially designed to rust evenly across the design to create an attractive, uniform look.
Speaking about the competition, Metals4U’s representative Paul McFayden said the organisers saw it as a chance to explore metal’s potential to be used as a creative medium. He added that they were excited to see how it can be used to make inspiring and beautiful objects.
Metals4U, a main sponsor of Yorkshire Sculpture Park since 2016, is one of the biggest metal stockyards in North England.
