Angel sighted at the Scarlet

Sunday, 22 August 2011

An angel has graced The Scarlet with her beatific presence.

The celestial being appeared in the light relax area of our spa earlier this month. Her name is the Arch Angel Gabriella and she is the work of Devon sculptor Jilly Sutton.

Gabriella – an otherworldly presence wrought in wood and leather – stands protectively over our spa guests as they relax before or after their treatments, her attitude one of calm and repose.

Hotel guests and day spa visitors are welcome to an audience with Gabriella. Her divine and gentle presence is truly uplifting.

If you come for lunch with us, you can visit The Architect, a cold cast verdigris bronze, also by Jilly Sutton, which stands in our Cloister Garden.

 

The Architect, pictured here receiving a kiss from his/her maker, is with us until October when he moves to London Bridge for a year, so don’t miss him/her.

Jilly Sutton sculptures are mostly wooden and figurative; many of her pieces are cast in bronze. She has work in private collections and public galleries including The National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of Liverpool Life, The Prudential Collection and The National Trust.

She trained as a sculptor at Exeter College of Art, writing her thesis on the history of the foliated head as depicted in art. Her father and grandfather were both nurserymen and her husband is Peter Sutton of architectural partnership Harrison Sutton, which designed the Scarlet.

Jilly Sutton uses felled trees and driftwood to carve her large wood heads and figures, sometimes sandblasting them at the local boatyard to give a grainy texture, and using lime wash pigments to finish them.

For many years, she lived in Nigeria and drew inspiration from the art forms that flourished there, both carvings and textiles. She researched and worked with indigo dye both in Africa and England. Now her inspiration comes from an area closer to home - the ancient trees and woodland that surround her riverside home in Devon.

Her portrait of poet Andrew Motion is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. She has exhibited and sold her sculptures around the world.

Her work is startling, but to me the overriding feeling is of serenity.
    
She says the driving force behind her work is the tranquility of her surroundings. Her wooden house and studio are on the banks of the Dart Estuary where the calmness and order of the river, continually influence the peacefulness of her sculptures.

For more information on Jilly Sutton, click the links below:

Jilly Sutton's website
About Jilly Sutton
Exhibition

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Scarlet Salutes The Loose Salute

Sunday, 22 August 2011

We are very proud of our local musical talent. The Loose Salute, a band from just up the road in Newquay, were on Dermot O'Leary's Radio 2 show this weekend.

Listen here from about 13:40.

 

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