JUDSON CHATFIELD Description
Australian sculptor Judson Chatfield is classically trained. Following his university education, he spent 25 years operating a glass etching and embossing studio. As a glass etcher, Chatfield restored the majority of historically significant public and private buildings in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. In 2002, Chatfield returned full time to his passion of sculpture, and has been producing and exhibiting consistently ever since.
The concepts for Chatfield’s pieces arise from diverse sources, be it an overheard whimsical comment, an observation of the elegant flight of a bird, or his sheer delight in a fragment of texture or the distortion of light through the leaves of a tree.
In 2010, Chatfield seized the opportunity to open a sculpture studio in Mexico, where he has been working on a series of bronzes based on sketches of figures in motion. Each form finds its expression in the intriguing materiality and careful textures incorporated into each piece. An added dimension of spontaneity is captured when the piece is cast in bronze. The series exemplifies ephemeral, dynamic movement juxtaposed with the stability of balance to create works of lasting beauty.
JUDSON CHATFIELD Statement
The human form, whether male and female, has long held a fascination for me. I believe the subtlety of movement can often be more powerful then the grand gesture. The line of a sculpted arm or leg can extend the sense of movement beyond the work itself. That extension creates shapes and spaces of its own which enhance the strength of the sculpture.
This series of bronze acrobats and athletes lets me explore my memories of being an athlete, as well as a stage and TV dancer, in my earlier years. I suppose my own body memory and love of movement piqued my interest in creating figures that embody activity through movement and balance, versus being merely illustrative.
These sculptures are intended to be lived with: to pleasure the eye and lift the spirit of the viewer. Each piece is a unique, individual casting and not one instance of a multiple casting. Bronze sculpture is often thought of as monumental, public, or made in multiples. With this collection, I want to offer people the opportunity to own a unique, original work of art.
Modeling for bronze enables a spontaneity that I have not found in other media and allows for a greater flow of emotion to be portrayed. Often, I find that whimsy or humor surfaces during the process, which I enjoy enormously.
JUDSON CHATFIELD Resumé
Education
1960 - 1964 Auckland University-Elam School of Art, New Zealand
1965 - 1966 Christchurch University-Ilam School of Art, New Zealand
Exhibitions
2010, Casa Diana, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2010, Still At The Centre Sculpture Exhibition, Byron Bay, NSW,Australia
2008 – 2010, Ocean Shores Art Expo, Ocean Shores, NSW, Australia
2008, Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
2008, PAN Group Show, Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
2009, Qdos Arts Gallery, Lorne, VIC, Australia
2008, Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
2007, International Creative Community Collective Exhibition, Coolamon Cultural Centre, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia
2007, International Creative Community Collective Exhibition, Bukgu Culture and Arts Centre, Ulsan, South Korea
2007, North Coast Sculpture Show, Ballina, NSW, Australia
2007 Inaugural International Creative Community Collective Exhibition, Gold Coast Council Chambers, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
2007, Byron Bay Art Prize, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
2006, International Art Fair, Seoul, Korea
2006, North Coast Sculpture Show, Ballina, NSW, Australia
2006, Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW, Australia
2006, Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
2005, Border Art Prize, Gold Coast Gallery, Queensland, Australia
2005, PAN Group Show, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
2004, Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery, Muwillumbah, NSW, Australia
2004, International Art Gallery Collections, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
2004, Pan Group Show, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
2003, Barebones Gallery, Bangalow, NSW, Australia
