Most of you reading this will know the work of Heather Jansch. Once seen, never forgotten! Whether it is in the gallery or at, say, the London Contemporary Art Fair, viewers often tell me how marvellous her work is, how they never forget it, or how much pleasure it gave them when they visited the Eden Project. It was a great compliment to Heather that the first piece of sculpture which the Eden Project bought was her life-size sculpture, now known as the Eden Horse. She has worked with the project since early days and, in addition to the horse, visitors can now also enjoy her pigs and piglets and a stork on top of a telegraph pole. And a small herd of bison may well be somewhere in the pipeline!

In the last show here two years ago, the emphasis was very much on horse sculpture. This time around there is a greater diversity and I am especially pleased that she is exhibiting human forms. I have always loved the dynamism and tension which she manages to achieve in these pieces. They also demonstrate that, while Heather has an intimate knowledge of equine conformation, she is much more than a 'horse sculptor'.

She is also a very accomplished draftswoman and painter and, for the first time in many years, we shall be showing her drawings and oils. Ms Jansch's enthusiasm for her work comes across loud and clear in the passage which follows and so there is little more for me to say. From 22 inches to 14 hands, Heather and her work speak for themselves more eloquently than I can.

Ian Courcoux

GIFTS FROM THE DEEP

TREASURE CHESTS

I could never have dared hope that I would find a medium of such apparently universal appeal; the popularity of my sculpture has exceeded my dreams by miles. Each new tide may bring a treasure chest bursting with a myriad of unexpected shapes and textures. I love the briny tang that rises from driftwood and the sense of wonder that something so very dead still seems to live, redolent of distant lands and other cultures. Unfortunately my success with it over the years may be partly responsible for its current fashionable status.

EVOLUTION

In my opinion the most vital aspect of an artist's life is the evolution of the work. It should be a constant process of discovery; the very moment it becomes formulaic the work is dead and without content. It happens to me from time to time but I have learned that it is merely an indication that I need a break, some time out for good or bad behaviour.Timeouts can last anything between ten minutes and six months.The odd thing is that when I eventually return to the particular piece of work it is as if a veil has fallen from my eyes in the interval.

JUNKYARD ANGELS

The Dancers, Warriors and Junkyard Angels appeared as a result of my habit of skip robbing and rummaging through old farmyards. I forget now exactly what it was, something rusty, a chain perhaps or discarded mangled garden implement, but anyway somehow I felt that rust and driftwood were natural companions. It started whole new direction in my work, which rapidly expanded to include working with the landscape when I moved house two years ago.

LOCATION LOCATION

The place I took on overlooked a wild wooded valley with the clearest of streams running through an ancient water meadow. It was a tiny Victorian Coach House conversion and a wonderful weekend retreat but far too small to house my ever-increasing collection of sculpture and driftwood. However, you know what they say about location, so I obtained planning permission for an extension.

SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

I did not fully realize at the time how significant it would be. I was experienced at renovating old buildings but this was the first time I had designed a building from scratch and it became the biggest sculptural project I had ever attempted. I wanted it to settle naturally into the landscape and look as if it had always been there while providing ample working space and light-filled flexible accommodation. My design meant that the build could take place in several different phases and it is, at the time of writing, half finished.The approach was similar to that which I take with other sculpture, namely to use recycled materials whenever possible and to retain flexibility of form for as long as possible. Architects who could not be convinced that I knew what I was doing were driven to distraction. I sacked two in succession after realizing that I would be better served by working direct with the builders, building inspectors and structural engineers where necessary.

EXTRA BONUSES

One of the bonuses of taking this approach was solving the problem of what to do with unused building materials that liberally littered the site.They had to be stored safely to void injury and take up minimum space whilst remaining visible and easily accessible for use. They also had to look beautiful and nothing could possibly be thrown away. The whole thing became an exercise in creative thinking. The second bonus became clear when I visited The Eden Project to discuss the form that an ongoing residency might take. The figurative works I have done for the cork exhibit, the pigs, the stork and of course the driftwood horse, are by now very well known but I wanted to think about different ways of developing artworks there. Some will involve working closely with other artists; some working with the public, some with the landscape and some will be interactive especially where children can participate. I naturally talked with enthusiasm about what had been occupying me in recent months,about my dry-stone walls and other less conventional boundaries, woodland trails, towers of timber, tyres, slates, bricks and so on. A gleam appeared in Peter Hampel¹s eyes.Take a look around the site he said, we have things left over from the build that we are keen to recycle. It was paradise for me, I uncovered all manner of objects and began to compile a list; with it ideas came flooding. A third bonus is that my Junkyard Angels may have found their natural home at Eden. Time will reveal all.

SPELLBOUND

My beautiful black Arabians and the wild valley where I live remain a huge influence on my work. Each day I am blessed to be spellbound by the timeless peace of my woodland surrounded by birdsong and the voice of the stream. It is very easy in such places to be still and let one¹s spirit soar. It is my sanctuary and a very necessary retreat from the business of exhibitions and the increasingly high profile that has come in the last few years. I hope that you all enjoy the work and find something to stir you from this most recent episode of my extraordinarily lucky life.

Heather Jansch

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