Jonathan Clarke

BORN:
Jonathan was born in 1961 in Suffolk,

LIVES:
Suffolk

PARENTS:
Dad Geoffrey Clarke (RA), was a sculptor.

EARLY LIFE:
At the age of 16 he took up an apprenticeship with his father, and he began exhibiting his own sculpture in the early 1980s.

MEDIUMS USED IN WORK:
Jonathan works in sand-cast aluminium, initially carving his sculpture in polystyrene. This method – pioneered by his father and mastered by Jonathan – relies on the destruction of the original mould as it is vaporised by molten aluminium. The result is an entirely unique, one-off sculpture.

SUBJECTS OF WORK:
His style, whilst abstract and architectural, carries a great deal of emotional resonance, often taking inspiration from social, spiritual and mythological subject matter. Other influences that Jonathan cites include the sculptors Eduardo Chillida and Anthony Caro, as well as two-dimensional artists such as Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko.

EXHIBITIONS:
North House Gallery and Chappel Galleries (both in Essex), and Strand Gallery in Suffolk. He also has work exhibited abroad, in Italy, Denmark and the US, and the Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo. Jonathan Clarke’s renowned skill for creating monumental sculptures has attracted a number of prestigious commissions, including an 11-metre wall-mounted cross for Ely Cathedral (The Way Of Life, 2001), an eye-catching figure for the town of Colchester (Boudica, 1999) and a twelve-piece exhibit for Trinity Hall’s permanent collection in Cambridge (Twelve, 2006).

Jonathan Clarke sculpture for sale from The Sculpture Park is detailed below: