Exhibition at Dalkeith Palace

As an elected member of the British Master Carvers' Association, the oldest association of wood and stone carvers in the UK, I am taking part in this traveling exhibition to celebrate the tercentenary of Grinling Gibbons - arguably the most famous British carver. Dalkeith Palace, Edinburgh

'Summer' - Slate Platter
Based on the sheet music carved on the left-hand side book of the
‘musical trophy’ in the dining room at Petworth House.

Lynda Sayce, in her article (co-written with David Esterly): “‘He was likewise musical…’ An unexplored aspect of Grinling Gibbons” (Apollo, June 2000) identified that:
‘The carving of musical score and instruments with sufficient precision to bear close scrutiny is an accomplishment that Gibbons alone among English baroque woodcarvers appears to have possessed.’
So much so that they concluded that a sheet of performable music is a ‘personal and distinctive’ signature to Gibbons, maybe even more so than the legendary adopted ‘peapod’ trademark.
 
Lynda Sayce has identified the carving as incorporating passages from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell, an opera based on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream first performed in 1692 at the Dorset Garden Theatre, composed in honour of the 15th wedding anniversary of King William III and Mary II, in the same year as Gibbons carved the ‘musical trophy’, indicating ‘how much Gibbons remained closely in touch with current musical events’.
 
I have chosen the words from the musical score from the left-hand book which annotates the opening bars of ‘Here’s the Summer, Sprightly, Gay’ from Act 4. In Gibbon’s carving, he did not include the words, but the melody and bass are very accurate and in the original key. 

MCA Grindling Gibbons

August 2021 is the start of a national touring exhibition celebrating 300 years of Grindling Gibbons (1648-1721), who was arguably the most famous Master woodcarver and sculptor of all time. Members of the Master Carvers' Association have been asked to exhibit work inspired by Gibbons alongside the original work. The show opens at St Mary Abcurch, City of London, on the 2nd of August and then will move at the end of the month to the Duch Church in London.

Fresh Air Sculpture

Lisi has been invited to exhibit several pieces of artwork at the Fresh Air Sculpture exhibition in Gloucestershire in July. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the decision has been made to postpone this exhibition until June 2021.

Feature Artist Wiltshire Life

The national magazine, Wiltshire Life has selected Lisi as their feature artist for a three-page spread in their March 2021 issue. March includes National Women's Day and this article also addresses a female artist working in a traditionally male-dominated world. For the full article please click here.

Brewin Dolphin Art Exhibition 2020

The annual art exhibition and Christmas celebrations by Brewin Dolphin, one of the largest British investment management and financial planning firms, were cancelled due to covid regulations. Lisi normally organises, curates and exhibits at this highly selective show in Marlborough.

Friends of the Garden 2020

In September 2020 Lisi was invited to exhibit at the very successful exhibition by the Friends of the Garden at West Leaze. In 1969 the same property was one of the first private gardens in the country to be used for showing contemporary sculpture. That exhibition was organised by sculptor Roger Leigh and his wife Pat. It featured 18 sculptors many of them with reputations that survive to this day. They included Hubert Dalwood, Denis Mitchell, Henry Moore, William Pye and Austin Wright. The Wiltshire archives hold many of the papers about this exhibition and visitors to the exhibition will be able to get an insight into that event. Work by several of the 1969 artists will also be on show.

LAT On a Knife Edge

The Lettering Arts Trust invited Lisi to exhibit work at the 'On a Knife Edge - Nature in Peril' exhibition in Suffolk. Unfortunately, this exhibition had to be postponed until 9 July - 7 November 2021. Lisi chose to represent the cuckoo and chose an abstract for a poem by Matthew Arnold (1822-1888). To read the full poem click on Matthew Arnold's link.

Elected member to the Master Carver Association

In May 2020 Lisi was proposed and elected as a Master Carver at the oldest association of wood and stone carvers in the UK, the Master Carvers' Association (MCA).

Typography article

Lisi has been interviewed for an article at 'It's Nice That' on her view of modern typography and the role of letter carving in the modern world. for the full article please click the link.

Garden Gallery in Stockbridge Spring 2020

Lisi showed several new works at Rachel Bebb's Garden Gallery near Stockbridge. Due to covid restrictions, the gallery owner decided to keep the exhibition open for longer allowing visitors to enjoy the artworks in these stunning settings throughout the whole summer.