A quirky looking seven-foot tree stands upright in the landscaped garden of Gloucestershire artist Sophia Hughes. On closer inspection, however, this is no tree. Rather it is a cluster of 11 rusty steel rods and a mirror-polished stainless steel one, camouflaged by flowering bind weed. Now an impressive ornamental feature immersed in wildlife, it records a significant monumental moment in Sophia’s life and artistic career. But it is really a sculpture topped with a chunk of glass called Song of Experience. The experience in question? Well, if you are eating you might want to put your edible item down at this point. Nine years ago, Sophia was a successful sculptor, creating giant pieces such as this – until she impaled the length of her left arm on one of those steel rods when her ladder slipped. She made an amazing recovery and it led to her swapping the chisel and saws for paintbrushes and palette knives – a much safer option. Although she does still use tools for constructing her own frames.
“My accident taught me two things. It showed me how much strength I had inside me and how much people cared for me,” recalls Sophia.
“One of the things I was doing at the time of the accident was painting on driftwood. One piece was a long plank and I realised that what I was really doing was a painting, so I brought out a canvas and started painting that. I called it After 40 Years.”
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
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Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Gloucestershire After The War
Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War
THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh
The days are getting shorter but there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful, says Sue Bradley, who discovers how a Cotswolds town is becoming more wildlife-friendly and pots up some bulbs for an insect-friendly spring display
Mr Ashbee would approve
In the true spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, creativity has kept the Chipping Campden community ticking over during lockdown
The Cotswolds at war
These might be peaceful hills and vales, but our contribution to the war effort was considerable
Trust in good, local food
‘I’ve been following The Country Food Trust’s activities with admiration since it was founded’
Why Cath is an open book
Cath Kidston has opened up almost every nook and cranny of her Cotswold idyll in a new book, A Place Called Home. Katie Jarvis spoke to Cath ahead of her appearance at this year’s Stroud Book Festival STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL – THIS YEAR FREE AND ONLINE: NOVEMBER 4-8
From the Cotswolds to the world
Most people know that the Cotswolds have featured in a fair few Hollywood movies and TV series.
The Wild Hunt
In search of the legendary King Herla in the Malvern Hills
Fighting spirit amid the flowers
Tracy Spiers visits Warwick, a beautiful town that is open for business and ready to welcome visitors
Final journey
Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains