After a formal training at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts Philip Hearsey spent many years working in and exploring different aspects of interiors, furniture and architecture. He now devotes his time to making sculpture and although there are a few outdoor pieces most are intimate in scale and intended for the interiors of home, office, yacht or hotel. He specialises in sandcasting to make sculptures that engage the quality of bronze as a noble material in its own right. Bronze is eternal - yet malleable and he loves the stuff. In its natural state the tone and depth of colour is sublimely beautiful, yet the surface is endlessly receptive to the transformative effects of oxidisation. He is intrigued by the surface and the alchemy of patination. Not because of any obsession with technique which is difficult to master, but because of the challenging possibilities and the unpredictability of the outcome. The colouring is not a surface coating: It is fundamental - it is the surface.
1) Which art movement do you consider most influential on your artistic practice?
Expressionism
2) Where do you go and when to make your best art?
I have been all over the world but now go mostly to Cornwall. I make my work here in Herefordshire but influences may come from anywhere.
3) How do you describe your 'creative process'?
Intuitive and instinctive.
4) Which artist, living or deceased, is the greatest inspiration to you?
Eduardo Chillida.
5) If you weren't an artist, what would you do?
Inconceivable
6) What do you listen to for inspiration?
Instrumental music, particularly piano.
7) If you could own one artwork, and money was no object, which piece would you acquire?
A piece by Chillida, probably Comb of the Winds permanently embedded in the rocks at San Sebastien.
8) If your dream museum or collection owner came calling, which would it be?
When it happens I will know.
9) What is your key piece of advice for artists embarking on a fine art or creative degree today?
Find your own style
10) What is your favourite book of all time (fiction or non-fiction)?
It changes and I don't have an all-time favourite. I prefer picture books.
11) If you could hang or place your artwork in one non-traditional art setting, where would that be?
On top of The Black Mountains
12) What was the biggest lesson your university course or time studying taught you?
Life taught me to do things properly and to the best of my ability avoiding unnecessary detail or decoration.
13) And finally, if we were to fast forward 10 years, where would we find you?
Here [ or there]
