Structure and detail
- Hannah Tapping
- Sep 15
- 3 min read
Words by Hannah Tapping
Richard Holliday’s sculptures reveal a purity of form, combined with a detail and fine line.
Now living in Cornwall, Richard Holliday’s early working years were spent as an architectural stonemason apprentice in Cambridge, where he worked on many prestigious buildings including Ely Cathedral, King’s College Chapel and Westminster Abbey. After more than a decade working with historical architecture he ventured into the world of public art.
“I feel that my background in architecture and experience in public art has enabled me to tackle both large scale projects and smaller detailed studio work,” says Richard. “I enjoy the whole process of producing something in stone from the quarry to the gallery, house or garden but appreciate and execute, above all, long-learned traditional skills. Defining my work entails a thorough understanding of technique and proportion that cuts across all subject matter. It is a very different discipline designing from a brief with close contact with client to realising your own unique speculative ideas. There are different pressures and dynamics to both scenarios; both of which I embrace.”
Richard has been involved in many large projects which notably include; the artworks in Victoria Square Birmingham; the Sheffield Peace Gardens; Boots the Chemist’s millennial garden at its Beeston headquarters; as well as being lead sculptor in the construction and carving of The Animals In War Memorial on Park Lane. Richard’s venerable career doesn’t end there, He was also a long-term collaborator with the poet, writer, visual artist and gardener, Ian Hamilton Finlay, both at his artist’s garden Little Sparta near Edinburgh as well as producing and installing many artworks at Jupiter Artland and in France and Germany.
Working predominantly in Carrara marble and British limestones, Richard’s work is varied and very little escapes examination as a possible subject, as he explains: “I enjoy heavy stylisation and abstraction. The shapes and forms of fish and birds lend themselves to this very well. On a larger scale, my work designed for intimate external spaces gives away my background in architecture and displays a deep understanding of form and structure.”
Richard fully appreciates the high level of skill, observation and devotion required in producing realism and as an architectural sculptor, actually spent a long time within that discipline himself: “Hence, I now tend to choose uncommon and unfashionable subject matter within a certain narrative and play with heavy stylisation and exaggerated form, line and geometry into abstraction.”
Richard now lives works in Cornwall but is often to be found in and around his old stomping grounds of Cambridge and London. His home in the Duchy, is a converted pumping station which acts as both dwelling and gallery with a garden landscaped designed specifically to house his larger works. An adjoining self-contained apartment is available as an occasional holiday let where private clients, architects, gallery owners and interior designers can book to stay to fully immerse themself in his work. “This allows them to get a feel for the sculpture in the landscape or interior and explore all the possibilities, ideas and practicalities necessary in order to introduce the work within their own projects,” adds Richard, “and although the garden can be a little sparse in early spring, mid-September and early October are sublime as autumn approaches.”
Richard is currently investigating versatility and among his current designs you’ll find large stone frames sited in the landscape. These are often housed in contemporary courtyard-style spaces where you are at close quarters with the detail. The subject matter within these frames is changeable and open-ended. As you might swap a painting upon your wall for another, you can change the subject within these frames. For example, one of his larger frames (as featured) changes subject with the seasons, while others offer permanent structural abstractions.
Commissioning bespoke sculpture is a considered process between client and artist. Location, scale and brief are thoroughly investigated and confirmed before commencement, and for the larger pieces Richard tends to chaperone them from conception to site. “This takes the logistical concerns of commissioning a large piece away from the clients,” says Richard. “I try to make the process as easy as purchasing something you can carry home, so I deal with all the transport and installation myself.”
Richard’s work is available to buy from The Gallery and Studio at The Old Pumping Station in St Keverne, as well as at Whitewater in Polzeath, Thompsons in Alderburgh, Seymour Place in London and Penwith Gallery in St Ives. The apartment is bookable via the artist hello@richard-holliday.co.uk or on Airbnb: Loft in Saint Keverne TR12 6PX.
