Forestry England and the Royal Society of Sculptors Announces the Winner of the Annual 2021 Grizedale Residency

Forestry England and the Royal Society of Sculptors

Announces the Winner of the Annual 2021 Grizedale Residency

Susan Stockwell FRSS and early-career artist Florian Houlker will be the latest artists joining the list of leading international artists who have been invited to work in Grizedale Forest. Susan and Florian will be residing and working in the forest this summer, producing work inspired by, and of, their surroundings.

Judges, President of The Royal

Society of Sculptors, Clare

Burnett, artist David Nash, art project manager, Nia Roberts and the arts development manager for North England at Forestry England, Hazel Stone said they were delighted by the diversity of applications and all the artists enthusiasm for the project.

They were selecting two artists who had responded to a ‘call for artists’ earlier this year; one ‘early year’s’ sculptor and one member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, to be based at Grizedale Forest for six weeks, 30 July – 11 September. During that time, they will be free to explore how creative and new ideas and innovative thinking can evolve without interruption.

Hazel Stone, Arts Development

Manager, Forestry England said: ‘There was such an optimistic sense of continuity as we gathered to consider the artist’s applications. It seemed perfect that David Nash, the second residency artist at Grizedale back in 1978, was on the panel to help select who would be amongst the next generation of sculptors to benefit from this amazing opportunity. David has often spoken of how influential spending time in the forest has been on his practice.

Above: Susan Stockwell FRSS in Studio - Photo ©Jonathan Turner 2020

It will be exciting to see how Susan and Florian’s residency will influence their work.’

David Nash has previously said of

his residency in 1977-78: ‘Being in the trees coming out of winter into spring for 3 months without teaching commitments meant that for the first time since college I could fully engage with “making”. There were fallen oaks to work with where they fell and daily, I could experience the season changing. Many themes I still work with were discovered there.’

Susan Stockwell FRSS and Florian Houlker join notable sculptors Richard Harris (the forest’s first resident in 1977-78), David Nash (1978), Robert Keonig (1981-83), Andy Goldsworthy (1984, 1985 & 1990) and Sally Matthews (1988) as artists who have left permanent and temporary work or have added in some way to the creative legacy of Grizedale Forest.

Susan graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1993 and she is based in London, England. She

Above: Early-career artist Florian Houlker

is represented by Patrick Heide Contemporary Art and works with The Artists Agency.

Clare Burnett, President of The

Royal Society of Sculptors said: ‘I hope Susan and Florian’s residency will encourage a shared verbal and visual dialogue between them. This is an exciting opportunity for them both to explore how creative ideas can evolve and how new ideas and innovative thinking can cross generations of artistic practice.’

Forestry England are committed to supporting creative enquiry in the natural forest and are pleased to see the relaunch of the Grizedale Residency which has been made possible through Grizedale Forest’s partnership with the Royal Society of Sculptors and generous funding by the Brian Mercer Trust. Together they are supporting artists and fostering experimentation and innovation in response to the natural environment.

Artist David Nash returns to Grizedale next month with a solo show titled Return to the Forest. 17th June – 12th December.