Heather is one of the most positive people I know and this aspect of her personality, combined with the exciting originality of her work, has led to her becoming involved in important exhibitions and future projects in the two years since her last solo show here. One very simple gauge of the public popularity of Heather's work is that the print run of the last Jansch brochure has been exhausted -- that has never happened to us before. The fundamental medium of all the work at that time was driftwood and the show was a sell-out. It would have been so easy for Heather to have continued to produce one beautiful driftwood piece after another -- why change a winning formula? However, that is not her nature and she has recently been working with different materials and styles, in tandem with the driftwood sculptures which are at the heart of her art.

The Work

For some time Heather and I had been discussing how her driftwood work might translate into bronze. Having worked with other sculptors where such a transition had been commercially but not, in my opinion, aesthetically successful, I was initially sceptical. From the commercial viewpoint, I worried about the high cost of dissembly of the original piece for moulding and casting and then, of course, of the intricate process of reassembly, chasing and patinating. Aesthetically, I was simply concerned about how the finished article would stand up alongside its driftwood counterpart. But talk is cheap. So Heather, typically, went ahead and had a bronze cast from a piece based on her own two year-old Arab,Ra Ra.. My sceptism disappeared the moment I saw the bronze. Another 'driftwood' bronze, Beethoven, followed and they both encapsulate the essence of the driftwood whilst having that strength which bronze inherently brings to sculpture. Concurrently, Heather had been considering methods of working which would enable her to sculpt more spontaneously -- not necessarily in order to produce more sculpture but, more importantly to her, to satisfy a need for variety of working method allowing immediate change of direction if and when required -- although Heather can work at speed with driftwood, it is nevertheless a process of construction and changing tack mid-piece is not straightforward.

Finally, as far as the sculpture itself is concerned, I would just say this of the driftwood work which has been going on contemporaneously. Because of the variety of work which Heather is now undertaking the driftwood sculptures are, if it is possible, fresher and more vital. The latest life-size mare and foal, Nightmare and Daydream II, and a new version of Mare's Nest (the original is shown here as the newHera was not finished in time) are marvellous examples of her original style and form an important part of what I believe will be one of the best exhibitions we have ever staged.

Since the Last Exhibition

There have been numerous moments of note during the past two years with interesting sales of work to interesting people both at home and overseas and, at the time of writing, negotiations for major works are under way. However, for the sake of brevity I shall just cover a few of the more important happenings and potentially exciting and fruitful future projects. Her last show in Stockbridge stimulated a great deal of interest in Jansch sculpture. Mark Eynon, Director of Newbury Festival (the same Mark Eynon who introduced me to Sophie Ryder in 1987), was so taken with the work that Heather was engaged to be Sculptor-in-Residence at Newbury in 1999. Newbury is one of the country's fastest-rising festivals and Heather spent her time there working on pieces which she had already started in the studio, but the public's interest was such that she had trouble finishing them. Heather, being a people person, spent a great deal of her time talking about her work to schoolchildren and grannies alike, and I have since had many people through the gallery who agreed with Mark that her residency was an enormous success.

Looking to the Future

The future looks extremely exciting for Heather Jansch and I will finish by talking about two major projects which are due to happen within the next year or so. Back in 1998, the National Trust showed Heather's work at its lovely property, Saltram House near Plymouth, where it was extremely well-received. 2001 is the National Trust's 'Year of the Garden' and a large number of Heather's sculptures will form a one-woman travelling show, starting at Saltram and then moving on to various NT properties around Britain, to promote the event. The intention is that there will be a book to accompany it. Saltram House, set in 500 acres of parkland, was built in the 18th century by the third Earl of Saltram whose pride and joy was his racehorse, Saltram, sired by the legendary Eclipse. A portrait of Saltram hangs in the house and Heather will sculpt another portrait of Saltram to stand in the grounds. In the Orangery, she will create friezes from her vivid memories of the Greek friezes in the Parthenon, and there will be a series of mythological figures in the gardens. Personally, I can't wait to see it. We believe that Carlton Television are interested in making a programme on the project. With my humble dealer's hat on, I have to ask how one could buy this sort of publicity!

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