Made in France
Unnatural Nature
2009 – Made in France
At the same time as moving to Mumbles, we purchased a property in rural France, south of Poitiers. We had spent many summers camping in France in the 1980s before buying the property. The stone farmhouse with a small plot of land and outbuildings was in a bad state of repair. However, it was on the edge of a small peaceful hamlet and perfect for developing as a studio and workshop. I was able to focus on my work and Marian could enjoy the space, garden and freedom after retiring from teaching.
2009 One Summer in France
Unnatural Nature – Agricultural Landscape Studies
Since 2009 and spending more time working in my studio in France, I have naturally been influenced by and conscious of the huge visual impact that industrialized agriculture has on the local landscape and wild life. Living in this environment from day to day is a completely different experience.
Other Digital Prints
2013 Neon Work: Sailing By
Pierre Talcot Gallery, Hennebont, Brittany
2016 Neon Work: A Hard Rain is Falling series
2016 Nouvelles Metamorphoses
2018 Newham College Installation
2017 No.8 Arts Centre, Pershore
2018 Landscapes of Light Exhibition. L’Orangerie, La Mothe Saint-Heray
Luminaria Collages – Digital Prints – Neon on Canvas
Revoke I
Revoke I from my vocabulary
I is one, is self.
Replace I with we, it is us
I is fragile, alone often angry.
We are us, strong together, caring.
One is an atom,
we are a universe.
Sharing.
Written by Terry W. Scales 2018
2021 Nouvelles Metamorphoses Exhibition. L’Orangerie, La Mothe Saint-Heray
We cannot see the woods for the trees
For the 2021 Nouvelles Metamorphoses exhibition I concentrated on exploring the natural beauty and structure of wood and presented five simple images of ash wood in its raw natural state. Photographic in origin, light was used to create deep shadows and muted colours of dry pigment. The five simple dramatic portraits of torn wood appear to be floating in an almost infinite black background.
2021 Five Studies of the Heart of Ash Wood Illuminated
In European mythology and folklore the ash is referred to as the World Tree – a tree that spans different worlds and is the backbone of the universe. Probably due to its strength and height (over 35 metres), in Celtic mythology the ash represents the Tree of Life; its tall branches reach up to the heavens and vast root system spreads deep below the earth, protecting the planet.
Because ash was thought to have power over water, it was often planted near sacred springs and used in boat-building.
In medicine the bark, seeds and leaves of the ash are all believed to have medicinal qualities. For centuries, across continents, ash was used to strengthen the liver and spleen and to cleanse and detoxify the body. Supposedly, Hippocrates also used ash to concoct remedies for gout and rheumatism.
Prior to modern antiseptics, inner ash bark was used to cleanse wounds. Ash leaves placed inside boots can help refresh tired feet.
“Between the earth and sky, there is light, life and our fragile ecosystem that man’s greed continues to ravage in the name of progress..
We are the time-ephemeral invasive species and ghosts, as the trees and forests we have relied on and exploited throughout our evolution are now proving to be one of our most important stewards of the environment in this period of climate change. These portraits, in my mind, offer a reminder of the natural strength and resilience of trees, their slow-growing longevity as a life form that outlives humans when undisturbed and which play an essential role in protecting our planetary ecosystem”.
My recent fascination with wood viewed in its natural state represents my commitment to exposing the beauty of its inner strength. It is NOT a matter of making wood beautiful by our manipulation of polishing, carving and shaping. Wood has its own inner intrinsic intimate beauty, visible within the energy depicted in its grain.
A 21st century Memorial to Gaia…… ©Terry W Scales 2023
Life and Art: From 1970s Experimental Public Art to 2020s Post Modern Naturalism
“My work as a constructivist artist since the mid-1970s has been primarily concerned with the exploration of images of light, as transmitted or reflected in our urban and industrial environment and developed as abstract colour compositions in two and three-dimensional formats. This work has included painting, photography, environmental sculptures, performance art, neon constructions and more recently digitized imagery. It has been and still is an exciting journey for the imagination.
“I consider myself extremely lucky to have been born at a time when our nation benefited from a post-war State education that had begun to recognise the need to harness creativity and imagination for peacetime as an economic and social asset with the aim and intention of making life richer for the majority of the population in our new meritocratic post-war industrial society. This was the driving force envisioned by my fellow art students at Hornsey College of Art in 1968 and it is that creative approach I continue to adhere to today.
During my lifetime (and more recently with the advent of rabid globalization), I have become, like all of us, seriously aware of the harmful impact of our industrial societies and our technologies degrading the planet, which clearly gives future generations a less than realistic chance of a more fulfilling life as we try to repair the damage. As an artist this has led me to work in new ways to express a deep respect for the complexity and beauty of our planet and as a critique of our human voraciousness.”
Terry W. Scales, constructivist artist. Made in England, Wales and France.
26, Rue de la Chapelle, Bonneuil, 79120, Sainte Soline, France
53, Woodville Road, Mumbles, Swansea, SA3 4AE, Wales
2022/2023 : Sketches of freestanding wood sculptures – ‘the Kanji for peace’ and ‘refugee mother and child’ .
2022 – 2023 My latest work – steam-bending 5 metre long tree trunks, torn into planks to create large sculptural tableaus.