Clunie Fretton is well versed in many mediums and styles. Since Gibbons brought us here, let’s start with a film and images of a spectacular replica of Gibbon’s virtuosic cravat. The film, made for the V&A Museum, features Clunie showing how she carved her replica of this famous piece.
Sculpture
Wood is not Clunie’s only medium. How about having a giant eagle cast in verdigris bronze? Sculpted in plaster and cast in bronze, the wingspan measures about 3 meters (almost 10 feet). One needs patience to sculpt all those feathers … and to keep a giant object in the studio for (how many?) months.
As with all images, click through to see larger versions.
Stone: The demon on a string-course of St. George’s Chapel was weathered beyond recognition. Clunie replaced it with Herme the Hunter, a legendary spirit who once roamed the nearby Windsor Forest.
Gilding
If you have lost your gilded stars and need replacements, Clunie can fill the order. The challenges with gilding are making it appropriately bright and wrinkle-free, whether on a baptistry ceiling, on iron gates, or on stone. These are in or around the Guilford Cathedral.
Woodcarving
Coming back to wood, Clunie is a classical woodcarver who not only creates traditional classical objects, but is also trusted to repair valuable pieces. Here we see a repair to a prized furniture piece in the V&A Museum, the Joiners and Ceilers Master’s Chair. One view shows repair work in progress. Try to spot the 11 replacement carvings. The other image shows the completed result.
Heraldry
Heraldry is natural in a country once ruled by Royalty. Here we see a Coat of Arms for King George III, bare and beautifully finished.
Other resources:
As with other artists featured in these pages, there is an abundance of additional information and images at Clunie’s various sites. Visit them and enjoy the works of today’s artisan.
Clunie’s website: https://www.cluniefretton.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cluniefretton
The Fretton Handley website: https://www.frettonhandley.com/ <- request commissions here.