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West Dean is part of a registered charity and relies on the support of generous donors, friends, legacies to help us deliver world-class education in conservation and the creative arts and maintain our award-winning gardens.
Peter Parkinson
Peter Parkinson studied at the Royal College of Art, has worked as a designer, artist blacksmith, and writer, and extensively as an art college lecturer. His work includes small gallery pieces, architectural metalwork and public art. He has written books on blacksmithing and sculpture, most recently Making Sculpture from Scrap Metal.
Describe your approach to teaching:
I want people to enjoy hot-forging metal and to see it as a
liberating activity involving aesthetic judgement, problem-solving
and a rare opportunity in metal, for freedom and spontaneity.
What inspires your own work ?
I am never sure about 'inspiration', since in my experience this is
really the outcome of sheer hard work, in generating ideas from all
kinds of sources, as well as the material itself.