Fred Gordon is an award winning young British sculptor, passionate about wildlife and the natural world. Born in 1993, Fred did a Foundation Diploma at Falmouth and has a MA Hons in History of Art and French from Edinburgh University. Having continued to produce work throughout his degree, on graduating in 2017 he immediately threw himself into creating sculpture full-time.
With minimal formal training, Fred has learnt through combined experience and total commitment. With an acute sense of observation, instinctive approach and striking ability he captures a real sense of spirit, movement and energy in his work.
Drawing his subjects from the British countryside and experiences further afield, including Sri Lanka and a three month artist residency in Limpopo, South Africa; Fred has travelled widely to study his subjects first hand in their natural environment. Working directly from life, Fred sketches, photographs and where possible creates small maquette studies in front of the animals. Looking at their anatomy and behaviour, he takes this source material back to his studio to work up the pose and form in the larger pieces.
Fascinated by the casting process, Fred has worked for several years at the foundry casting the bronze first hand. Whilst at the foundry he started working with the foundry wax, using sheets of wax to create and mould the work. With this layered effect, working quickly with the heated plates of wax, there is both a spontaneity and an element of fragmentation and abstraction in the work. 'I like seeing the hollow areas, being able to see through and into the sculpture brings a lightness to the bronze.'
Rather than create an exact impression, Fred explains he is looking to 'capture a moment.' It is this nuance in the movement and an instinctive sense of character in the pose that he captures so beautifully. He then looks for greater intricacy in the details and the faces. 'I feel you can see the life in a sculpture through its eyes.'
Once the wax master is finished the bronze is cast using the Lost Wax Method. An age-old technique used to create the mould, cast and finish the piece in bronze, which in Fred's case involves one shot at casting directly from the wax itself. Closely involved in the casting process and final patination, Fred explains the bronze is finished with 'a marbling technique, using natural tones in the greys, greens and browns, to create collages of colour.'
Fred Gordon has exhibited with Sculpture by the Lakes, the Animal Art Fair, Art for Youth and the Affordable Art Fair in London. He won the Diana Brooks Prize with Art for Youth in 2017 and is rapidly making a name for himself as a brilliantly talented, committed and exciting young British sculptor.