Tim Pomeroy: Recent Stone Carvings at Fine Art Society

Sculptor, painter, illustrator and poet Tim Pomeroy (born 1957) is mounting his first solo exhibition at London’s Fine Art Society this month. Born in Hamilton, Scotland, he is inspired by the history of his country, his work finding its influence in native Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites.

Much of his recent work has been based upon grave goods, which in the past served the deceased in a multitude of ways. They were spiritual or ceremonial objects such as personal possessions or supplies placed to aid the smooth passage of the dead into the afterlife, or were a precaution used by the living to prevent the dead from returning. They also stood as symbols of status and power, tokens that represented the character of the deceased. In this exhibition, Pomeroy aims to recover and contain the original power and essence of these objects in his sculptures.

In addition to the inspiration Pomeroy garners from the past, he also is touched by the awe-inspiring details of everyday life. The natural world provides ample wonder and this is represented in works exhibited here, such as Pinecone, 2014. This piece depicts a natural form whose organic pattern and complicated structure are impressive ordinarily but here, rendered in marble, that quality is heightened and the form becomes mesmerising.

In contrast, the exhibition also confronts the machined and engineered objects of contemporary life. In pieces such as Screwhead, 2008 the mundane source has been taken and again, elevated through size and precision. It is flawlessly executed; the lines are strong and, while simple, the polished stone emanates an authority. The power of such pieces engages the viewer in Pomeroy’s awe of “simply being”.

In his reverent and meticulous portrayal of the remarkable essence and intricacies of the historic, the natural and the everyday, Pomeroy forces the viewer to step back and reassess beauty. He is widely regarded as one of Britain’s pre-eminent stone carvers – this exhibition is testament to just that.

Naomi Joseph

Recent Stone Carvings is at the Fine Art Society until 27^th November 2014, for further information visit here.