"Local Life"
A ceramic artwork for Old Lenton Priory Park Sculpture Garden
created by Eric Foxley
Local Life
The original request was for a ceramic artwork with connections to the local communities of Dunkirk and Lenton. The final design consisted of two panels each of 48 tiles, each tile inspired by some aspect of local nature and industry.
The tiles are individually made by impressing a real object into a freshly rolled porcelain tile before cutting to size, drying and first (bisque) firing. The impressed objects are either natural, or represent a local industry or community interest. The natural objects are leaves and fruit collected during pleasant walks in Priory Park, Highfields Park, Wollaton Park, University Park and Clumber Park as well as from our own garden. The hard objects include pills (representing QMC or Boots), rope (representing W. Coates & Sons), various cycle parts (representing Raleigh), arrow heads (representing Robin Hood) and tennis raquet strings (representing the Tennis Centre). After the bisque firing the tiles are then glazed by hand in a variety of colours and fired again.
I wish to express my thanks to all those who have helped in so many ways. Thanks to the many collectors of objects and helpers in glazing, and to Sophie Robins for the final fixing. The porcelain comes from Valentine Clays of Stoke-on-Trent, and is bisque fired in a Potterycrafts Heatworker kiln to 1000° and then second fired to 1250°.
Eric Foxley has lived in Dunkirk for 50 years, He and his wife Joy have lived a life of music, dance and art both before and after retirement from formal employment.
The artwork was unveiled on 22nd October 2016 by the Sheriff of Nottingham (see photos below) at the Dunkirk and Lenton Martinmas Fair, which is held annually at Priory Park & Priory Church of St Anthony, Old Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2NW.
All my tiles (including many not in the artwork) can be seen individually here. Eric's other ceramics can be seen here and painted ceramics here and green man plates here.
 |
Landscape panel |
.jpg) The unveiling |
 The context |
| Maple | Hazel with nuts |
Horse chestnut | Geranium | Rosemary | Ash with seeds |
Oak | Obsidian arrow heads [Robin Hood] |
| Horse chestnut | Ivy | Foresters Morris Men [Badge of Nottingham's traditional dance team] | Fennel | Beech with nuts |
Lace | Green's formula [University Mathematics Department] |
Bracken |
| Oats | Green man [English folk tradition] |
Sycamore | Rope [W. Coates & Sons] |
Tulip tree | Teazel | Pine | Rye ears [Beeston Rylands] |
| Lace | Yew | Lace | Sage in flower |
Rope imprint [W. Coates & Sons] |
Priory Park | Bike sprocket [Raleigh] |
Oak |
| Oak | Bike chain [Raleigh] |
Lace | Horse chestnut | Knot [W. Coates & Sons] |
Walnut leaf and nut |
Tennis raquet [Tennis centre] |
Holly |
| Rye ears | Pills and inhaler [Boots or QMC] |
Ivy | Mare's tail | Larch | Horse chestnut | Fig | Music [Eric and Freds Folks] |
 |
Portrait panel
|
 The context |
 The unveiling |
| Ivy | Lace | Pine | Fatsia | Alder | Ivy |
| Rosemary | Rowan ash with berries |
Rope [W. Coates & Sons] |
Oak (Spanish) | Bike chains [Raleigh] |
Beech with nuts |
| Wheat ears | Tulip tree | Priory Park | Oak | Lime | Horse chestnut |
| Fig | Bracken | Oak | Rope [W. Coates & Sons] |
Lace | Rye ears [Beeston Rylands] |
| Holly | Raleigh insignia | Lavender | Tennis | Sage | Teasel |
| Apple | Bike sprocket | Pills [QMC or Boots] |
Horse chestnut | Rye ears | Lace |
| Thyme | Buttons | Witch hazel with nuts |
Green man [English folk tradition] |
Obsidian arrow heads [Robin Hood] |
Pine |
| Lace | Hops | Olive | Mare's tail | Wisteria | Music [Eric and Freds Folks] |
Joy and Eric are also involved with
Foresters Morris Men
Greenwood Step Clog Dancers
Freds
Folks Ceilidh Band
King Billy Sessions
Magic lantern shows
This copy edited
Thursday 09-Dec-2021
This page is at "http://www.chezfred.org.uk/ArtworkTiles.html"
