Heather Jansch

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Heather Jansch
Born
Heather Rosemary Sewell[1]

(1948-08-03)August 3, 1948[2]
Hockley, Essex
Died5 July 2021
Olchard, Devon
Education and
Goldsmiths College[1]
OccupationSculptor
Years active1968–2021
Notable work
Driftwood horses
Spouse(s)Bert Jansch (divorced)[1]
ChildrenKieron Jansch
Websitehttp://www.heatherjansch.com

Heather Jansch (born Heather Rosemary Sewell) was a British sculptor notable for making life-sized sculptures of horses from driftwood.[3][4] Jansch reported that she struggled in her youth academically, but had a passion for drawing and writing. She attended Walthamstow Technical College for her Foundation year and from there gained a place at Goldsmith's. This proved a great disappointment, as figurative art was greatly derided there at the time. She left after the first year.

While at Walthamstow, in 1967, she had met the musician Roy Harper. It was Harper who introduced her to the already renowned guitarist Bert Jansch, whom she later married.[1] They had a son, Kieron, now a film-maker, in 1971. They separated in 1974 and divorced some years later.

She bought a small hill farm in Dyfed, breeding Welsh cobs[1] and specialized in painting traditional equestrian portraits until starting to sculpt in the 80s. Discovering driftwood as a medium for sculpture proved revelatory. Heather spent many years perfecting the translation of her complex work into bronze, pioneering a technique that made them indistinguishable from the driftwood original

By 1986 she was exhibiting sculpture regularly with Courcoux and Courcoux, a leading provincial contemporary gallery then based in Salisbury that took her work to the London Contemporary Art Fair where it received very favourable reviews.

Her life-size driftwood horses became her hallmark and in 1999 were featured in the Shape of the Century 100 Years of Sculpture in Britain at Salisbury Cathedral.[5]

The exhibition was then taken to London's Canary Wharf as part of the millennium celebrations in 2000 where her horses caught the attention of Tim Smit KBE founder of the Eden Project; she was invited to become one of their resident artists. Her horse was voted the most popular art work there and has since become widely known as The Eden Horse.[6]

There are pieces by Heather in private collections around the world including in the US, Canada, Switzerland, France and Romania. Heather exhibited internationally on a number of occasions, including, in 2007, as artist in residence at Arte Sella in Borgo Valsugana, Italy.

Sculptor Heather Jansch flanked by two of her driftwood horses, "Atlantis" on her right and "The Eden Horse" on her left.
Sculptor Heather Jansch flanked by two of her driftwood horses, "Atlantis" on her right and "The Eden Horse" on her left.

A life-long writer, in 2009 she set up Olchard Press. She published "Heather Jansch's Diary", "Living with the Legend" about her life with Bert, and ruminations on her expeditions to Italy, "The Italian Job", released in Summer 2021.

"Apollo" by Heather Jansch. Bronze cast from the driftwood original, shown fresh from construction in the foundry at Basingstoke.
Chinoise by Heather Jansch, 2007. Bronze.

She died, following a stroke, on 5th July 2021 at Olchard, Devon.


The Eden Horse by Heather Jansch, 2002
The Eden Horse by Heather Jansch, 2002
Sculptor Heather Jansch at work in her studio in Olchard, Devon
Heather Jansch at work in her studio in Olchard, Devon
Sculptor Heather Jansch next to her work "The Young Arabian". Bronze cast from Driftwood.
Sculptor Heather Jansch next to her work "The Young Arabian". Bronze cast from Driftwood.

Picture gallery[]

  • The Eden Horse by Heather Jansch, 2002. On display at Heather's garden in Olchard prior to delivery to The Eden Project.

    The Eden Horse by Heather Jansch, 2002. On display at Heather's garden in Olchard prior to delivery to The Eden Project.

  • Chinoise by Heather Jansch, 2007. Bronze.

    Chinoise by Heather Jansch, 2007. Bronze.

  • Sculptor Heather Jansch, flanked by two of her life-size horses. "Atlantis" on Heather's right, and "The Eden Horse" on her left.

    Sculptor Heather Jansch, flanked by two of her life-size horses. "Atlantis" on Heather's right, and "The Eden Horse" on her left.

  • Sculptor Heather Jansch at work in her studio.

    Sculptor Heather Jansch at work in her studio.

  • "Apollo" by Heather Jansch, here shown still in the foundry at Basingstoke.

    "Apollo" by Heather Jansch, here shown still in the foundry at Basingstoke.

  • Sculptor Heather Jansch standing next to the latest cast of her work "The Young Arabian"

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Heather Jansch – Profile". Heatherjansch.com. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  2. ^ C. Jordan (12 May 2009). "Amazing Art: The Dynamic Driftwood Horse Sculptures of Heather Jansch". Quazen.com.[unreliable source?]
  3. ^ Lisa Allardice (22 August 2009). "Knocking on Devon's doors". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2011. One of the undoubted highlights of our tour was a visit to the studio of Heather Jansch – Devon's answer to Damien Hirst – in Olchard, where her strikingly beautiful life-size horse sculptures, crafted from driftwood salvaged from nearby beaches, seem so alive as to almost sniff the air of her pretty wilderness garden.
  4. ^ SUSAN ALLEN TOTH (22 July 2001). "More Than One Eden in Cornwall". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2011. ... The Eden Project: Heather Jansch's cork and wood sculpture in the Visitor Center; ...
  5. ^ "Heather Jansch | Arthus Gallery".
  6. ^ Jansch, Kieron (3 August 2021). "Heather Jansch obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

External links[]

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