Jill Watson Landscapes and Still Life 4 - 28 July 2012
Rome II 1985 17 x 13 x 31.5 cms
The Scottish Gallery is delighted to host this fourth solo exhibition of bronze sculpture by Jill Watson. The exhibition is a small retrospective brought up-to-date with some new themes, to remind us of her sensitively observed works. Jill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1957 and grew up on a farm near Perth in the Carse of Gowrie. After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art, Jill then proceeded to Italy to learn to carve marble and work in bronze beside the artisans in the workshops and studios of Pietrasanta near Carrara. As a figurative sculptor, who works mainly in bronze, Jill carries many major public commissions.Jill works between her studios in Edinburgh and Pietrasanta.
Left: Detail of Zenobia’s Kingdom 1987 43.5 x 38 x 7 cms
Public commissions include: Merchant Navy Memorial, Leith The Queen’s Gallery, Holyrood The Hub, Edinburgh’s Festival Centre Hampton Court, Golden Pear Tree St Michael’s Church, Bath Scottish Opera
Landscapes “In this series of small bronzes, all inspired by Jill Watson’s first sight, more than 20 years ago, of the ruinous remains of ancient Rome and the theme is one of space between, of distances. In each work, we have shapes with the quality of what could be called visible time, that is the traces in constructions each year leaves as it passes, that act as markers of our place in a continuum from ‘before’, to ‘now’ and ‘after’…” from Dr D Bell, August 2006.
Zenobia’s Kingdom 1987 43.5 x 38 x 7 cms
Inscribed Landscape 2005 bronze edition 2/8 38 x 34 x 4 cms
Site I 1989 38 x 34 x 4.5 cms
Percorso I 2008 bronze edition 1/8 41 x 37 x 3 cms
Site II 1989 29.5 x 27 x 3 cms
Percorso I 2012 aquatint 18.5 x 15 cms edition of 30
Road 2012 aquatint 9 x 13.7 cms edition of 30
Percorso II 2008 bronze edition 1/8 41 x 37 x 5 cms
Percorso III 2008 29 x 26.5 x 3 cms
Rome III 1987 27 x 33 x 33 cms
Rome IV 1987 34 x 26.5 x 34 cms
Beach 2005 30 x 27 x 15 cms
Still Life The figure sculptures come from watching people in the street. The movement of the figure is sometimes contrasted against the straight line of the column, or they are left for the onlooker to imagine where they are.
Standing Man 2005 55 cm h
Orientation 2005 30 x 27 x 15
Garden 1997 29 x 26.3 19.5 cms
Jill Watson Public Commissions THE HUB EDINBURGH’S FESTIVAL CENTRE 230 figures, approximately 57cm high, adorn what has become known as the sculpture stair at the Hub, Edinburgh Festival Centre. They represent 50 years of music, dance, opera and theatre. They transport viewers into a magical world where they become the audience. The figures are made of plaster with copper wire armatures; bronze editions are available of a selection of them.
THE QUEEN’S GALLERY, EDINBURGH On behalf of the Royal Collections Trust, Benjamin Tindall Architects commissioned a series of sculptures, including the carved heraldic lion, gilded bronze hinges and patinated internal door handles helping lead the public from the outside into the galleries beyond. On the hinges, the lion and the unicorn reflect the heraldic theme and the straps reflect town and country. The vegetation on the upper hinges is of flowers out at the time of the Golden Jubilee.
MERCHANT NAVY MEMORIAL, LEITH SCOTLAND The Memorial commemorates the sacrifice of almost countless personnel lost at sea in war and peacetime along the trading routes of the world. The stone column, 5 metres high, reflects a tradition going back to classical times, with a crown of ships bows and sails based on the Merchant Navy crest. A shelf of figures, approximately 20 cm high, illustrate life on board and docking. Panels above and below show merchant ships through history, the danger of war, rocks and storms, trading all over the world and the importance of nautical college training.
1881 EAST COAST FISHING DISASTER A series of memorials were commissioned to commemorate the widows and children left after Britain’s worst fishing disaster, when 189 men were drowned in a single afternoon, on 14th October 1881. The bronze memorials stand in four of the affected communities; Cove, St Abbs, Eyemouth and Burnmouth. The exact number of widows and children in each community are represented on the bronzes showing at a glance the real impact of the disaster. Fund-raising continues to complete the bronze for Eyemouth, the worst affected with its 88 widows and 182 children.
Figures are approximately 19cm high and the bases 1.2 m.
CLORE CENTRE, HAMPTON COURT, LONDON This commission was to create an eye catching entrance to direct school children coming to the new Clore Learning Centre built by Feildon Clegg Bradley. The gilded bronze pear tree adorns a gateway at the end of the historic soldiers barracks. The design reflects the formality of the soldiers while honouring the centuries of fabulous gardens of the palace. The golden archway leads the children to the Learning Centre where they have to touch the sculpted bronze doorhandles to enter the building. The handles are made up of 26 historical figures connected to life at the palace.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN Commission for life-size bronze figures representing work and family to go outside Taipei 101 Financial Centre 2003 building in Taiwan.
ST MICHAEL’S & ST PAUL’S CHURCH, BATH Jill Watson was commissioned to make an eye catching main entrance to the renovated church. The newly design front entrance now has a bronze of St Michael with St Paul at its centre. Internally, a glass balustrade has scenes of everyday life reflecting the many uses of the building and Bath today.
Inscribed Landscape 2012 aquatint 20.5 x 22.5 cms edition of 30
Jill Watson Landscapes and Still Life 4 - 28 July 2012
Written and edited by Jill Watson and The Scottish Gallery. Photography by Antonia Reeve pages: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 39. All other photographs by Benjamin Tindall and Jill Watson. The Scottish Gallery, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this online catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders.