Amy Goodman, a sculptor and portrait artist from Quarley, designed and created a set of three life sized horse statues which are due to be installed at Crest Nicholson’s Arborfield Green development in Wokingham early next year. Crest Nicholson commissioned the work in Autumn 2017, in tribute to the site’s history as the home of the Remount Depot and Horse Infirmary.
The life-sized horse artworks, titled ‘Youngster’, ‘Sports Horse Mare’ and ‘Icarus’, are designed to serve as a piece of remembrance and enjoyment for the community. The artistic process involved several stages from drawings and scale models, to working up the life-size armatures using scaffolding bars, welded-steel bars and mesh, before the clay work and final casting. Once the internal structures were completed, the three sculptures took approximately six months to finish, with Amy working simultaneous on all three pieces and using between 400kg to 700kg of clay for each horse.
Amy, a keen horse enthusiast says: “I created the rearing ‘Icarus’ war horse sculpture with a hogged mane and short tail, and branded his hooves with the date 1918 as a subtle reminder of his history. He was inspired by a Cleveland Bay stallion at Cholderton Farm, which was just five minutes from my studio, so I feel very lucky to have had a real life model nearby.
“I had a very intense five and a half months doing the clay work on my own, however this was a dream commission for me and I relish working at this scale! I wanted to capture the lively nature of the horses, so I moulded the clay using fast movements and finished the sculptures using iron-rust patina which is exceptionally vibrant and should complement the green of the beautiful surrounding landscape.”
David Hnyda, Sales and Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson Chiltern, says: “We’re looking forward to installing these sculptures next year, where they will form part of a new bridleway being created by Crest Nicholson. Arborfield Green has been developed in line with our Garden Village concept, which aims to create community-minded homes surrounded by green open space. We’re pleased to honour Arborfield Green’s military history throughout the development today, from these new horse sculptures, to the original, refurbished buildings and the acres of ancient woodland.”
The sculptures will complement the range of beautiful homes available at Arborfield Green. Designed to suit a multitude of lifestyles, the residents at this unique Garden Village benefit from access to a range of amenities within the established community, including a brand new school and plenty of open green space. Prices at Arborfield Green start from £295,000 for a two bedroom apartment and £390,000 for a two bedroom house. For more information call 0184024768.
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