Artist Feature: Nigel Hall RA

Left: Nigel Hall RA; Drawing 1238, 2002 charcoal, 76 x 57cm, exhibited in 'A Conversation with Trees', view work here

Royal Academician, Nigel Hall, is a sculptor and draughtsman. He studied at the West of England College and the Royal College of Art, and has worked from his studio in London since the 1970s. His sculptural works, principally made of polished wood or steel, are concerned with three-dimensional space, mass, and line. His abstract and geometric sculptures give as much prominence to voids and shadows as to the solidity of material and each work changes with light and viewpoint reflecting the landscapes that inspired them. 

Alongside his sculptural practice, Nigel is continually inspired by the natural world to draw, often in charcoal. Drawing 1238 (pictured above and currently exhibited as part of A Conversation with Trees) is part of a series of drawings by Nigel inspired by log piles in the snow. The work was originally selected for exhibition due to its material connection, however, it once again shows how the artists work holds its base in the natural world.

Opening night of Nigel Hall’s ‘Line, Edge, Shadow’ exhibition at Robert Cripps Gallery, Magdalene College.

Alongside the three works that are currently exhibited as part of A Conversation with Trees (Sept - Oct 24) you can also visit a major exhibition of Nigel Hall’s work on your doorstep at the Robert Cripps Gallery in Magdalene College. Nigel writes of the exhibition, titled Line, Edge, Shadow:

“I find there is a symbiotic relationship between two and three dimensional works in which neither take precedence over the other. Drawing has played a constant and vital part in my work and not solely as preliminary studies for sculpture. It has allowed for related explorations freed from the tyranny of gravity to which sculpture is inextricably chained.

Certain views, trees and objects might draw me to them and then I reciprocate by drawing them in return. Drawing for me can be seeing, thinking, exploring, connecting and distilling. You need to know something about the subject in order to draw it and once drawn, it’s never forgotten.”

During his career, Nigel Hall produced a number of prints with master-printmaker Kip Gresham at The Print Studio, Cambridge. Fen Ditton Gallery have exhibited these prints over the years, is acting agent for the editioned prints (Gemini, Dialogue and Summer Storm pictured above) included in the Robert Cripps exhibition. For purchase enquiries, please contact Hannah on info@fendittongallery.com