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EXHIBITION TITLE:           INNOVATIVE FORMS – The Lettering of John Skelton

DATES:                                13 March to 28 June 2020   

TIMES:                                Daily 11.00am to 5.00pm

VENUE:                               The Lettering Arts Centre, Snape Maltings, Snape,

                                             Suffolk IP17 1SP

ADMISSION:                     FREE

WEBSITES:                         www.letteringartstrust.org.uk &
                                           www.johnskeltonexhibition.co.uk

A celebration  of the life, career and artworks of John Skelton (1923 – 1999), one of the UK’s foremost sculptors and letter carvers, whose work embraced a range of disciplines including stone and wood carving, heraldry, calligraphy and metalwork.   Works on display represent his boundless innovations that resulted in an extensive catalogue of significant Public and Royal commissions which included Chichester Cathedrals and Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust at Stratford-on-Avon;  the plaque marking the resting place of Sir Winston Churchill’s catafalque in St Paul’s Cathedral; a tablet commemorating George Elliot in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey; and the iconic Ditchling cat. The exhibition features original drawings, rubbings and sketches and is supported by maps, posters and 'workshop' photographs.

John Skelton was influenced by Eric Gill and Joseph Cribb, however he developed his own distinct style derived from a complete understanding of the three dimensions. While he was experimenting with 3D forms in sculpture, including modern abstraction, he was likewise experimenting with letterforms. Not only were these deeply incised, they too might be raised, cast, painted, drawn or written with a pen. The letterforms he invented thus became ‘innovative forms’ that have had a marked influence on subsequent lettering artists.