Sculptor Patrick Walls is giving an exhibition called Figurative and Abstract at the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham from April 29 to June 10. 

Patrick specialises in carved stone and cast metals. He works on large-scale sculpture for the public domain and makes smaller, individual sculptures to exhibit. His work can be either figurative or abstract but often explores two dominant themes – ‘air/water’ and ‘volume/time’.

Air/water explores wave forms and repeated patterns, both in terms of form and surface. These sculptures can be small, intimate pieces or monumental landmark sculptures. Employing fluid, sweeping curves, the sculptures seek to evoke a sense of movement belying the solidity and weight of the material.

Volume/time as a body of work explores the use of stone as a material. These sculptures are dictated by the natural properties of the stone, working with the volume of the material and emphasising its natural properties, formed through many thousands of years. The surface is meticulously finished by hand to exaggerate the form.

Patrick is one of the leading sculptors creating artworks for Brightwells Yard in Farnham. The exhibition is simultaneous to the installation of new public art there by Patrick.

The sculptures for Brightwells Yard are a series of ten large-scale sandstone figures standing in the newly-landscaped gardens. Each figure represents a different craft associated with the local area. They are arranged in three small groups, each group in conversation or looking out across the open space towards the other sculptures.

Other recent public art includes The Regiment of Trees, commissioned by the Woodland Trust – a series of 12 life-sized soldiers standing in a newly-planted ‘regiment’ of trees.

They commemorate the inspection of troops at Epsom Downs in January 1915 by Lord Kitchener. The site is part of Langley Vale Wood, one of a series of memorial woods established by the Woodland Trust to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Patrick recently installed five abstract sculptures on the River Tees Sculpture Trail. Each is a direct response to its location – the gentle slopes of a village green, an intimate wooded glade, the iconic Tees Transporter Bridge, wide open expanses of salt marsh and the sand dunes of the South Gare.

To celebrate the sculptures at Brightwells Yard, Patrick will hold stone carving workshops in the summer supported by Waverley Borough Council.

The exhibition is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm. Entry is free.