Jonathan Clarke

Jonathan Clarke was born in 1961 in Suffolk which is where he is still based today using a technique of casting his work in aluminium in his own foundary where he has full control of the process. He grew up surrounded by sculpture and aged 16, took up an apprenticeship with his father, the sculptor Geoffrey Clarke (RA) and went on to exhibiting his own sculpture in the early 1980s.

Jonathan Clarke works in sand-cast aluminium, initially carving his sculpture in polystyrene. This method – pioneered by his father and mastered by Jonathan – relies on the destruction of the original mould as it is vaporised by molten aluminium. The result is an entirely unique, one-off sculpture. His sculptures are both abstract and structured but with a large emotional resonance taking inspiration from social, spiritual and mythological subjects.  He attributes Eduardo Chillida and Anthony Caro as influences on his work as well as Eduardo Paolozzi.

Like his father, Jonathan Clarke's sculptures have been widely commissioned for public projects throughout the UK, one such commission being an 11-metre wall-mounted cross for Ely Cathedral (The Way Of Life, 2001), a figure for the town of Colchester (Boudica, 1999) and a twelve-piece exhibit for Trinity Hall’s permanent collection in Cambridge (Twelve, 2006).