Contemporary Bronze sculpture, Wood carving, Relief Carving, Wildlife Sculpture and HMS Victory.

Ian G Brennan: ‘Sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Most Honourable Order of the Bath’ has been a professional Artist, Woodcarver and Sculptor for forty years working in a wide variety of subjects and materials, including wood, marble-resin, sterling, silver and bronze. Although Ian produces realistic and heraldic wood carvings and bronze sculptures, along with a variety of his limited-edition bronzes. The vast majority of Ian’s work involves creating detailed bespoke 'one off ' sculptures, some are larger than life, others less so, but all in a variety of different subjects and materials, commissioned from all over the world and others closer to home.

Ian GB has been a professional Sculptor for the past four decades and has been commissioned to create a wide variety of often almost three hundred unique sculptures created in very fine detail in wood. marble/resin, silver and bronze for Private and Corporate clients from all over the world. Including creating a wide variety of almost one hundred and forty unique sculptures for the British Royal Household. These commissions have included creating sculptures for over one hundred Knights, four British Prime Ministers, twenty-eight British and European Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Earls, Baroness’s, Lords an Emperor and more recently creating the Crown for HM Queen Camilla.

The Mute Swan Crest for former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair and the Crown for HM Queen Camilla.

Ian became a professional wood carver sculptor in 1984 when his cabinet making workshop burnt down with everything inside and in 1996 also started to produce sculptures in silver and bronze. Ian's first exhibition was in Mayfair London in the late 1980’s and then began exhibiting his realistic wood carvings and bronze sculpture widely throughout the UK.

During the past decade Ian was concentrate more on working on commission rather than exhibiting in art galleries and on a number of occasions as ‘Artist in Residence’ with his last such exhibition held at the Mall gallery in London in 1997 just a few hundred yards from Buckingham Palace where for the past 35 years Ian has been commissioned to create a wide variety of unique sculptures during the past two centuries for two different Sovereigns.

Although there are several examples of Ian’s more recent sculptures on this website. Most sculptures shown here, albeit Marquette’s or otherwise, are examples of his early work as many of his commissions for private and corporate clients and particularly for the Royal Household have not all been included. However contemporarysculptor.com still gives a rather good idea of the wide variety of style and detail that sculptor and woodcarver Ian G Brennan has created during the past four decades.

Although Ian rarely exhibits in art galleries today a small selection of the unique collection of wood carvings and bronze sculptures he has put together over the years have been placed on display in a wide variety of other venues, which have included the Queens Room on-board the Cunard Liner the Queen Elizabeth 2. On the middle gun deck of HMS Victory. At Burlington House; Home of the Royal Academy of Arts, The College of Arms, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and also within the historic Royal setting of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Since 1984 Ian’s silver, bronze, wood and marble/resin, sculptures have also been commissioned for to be placed in Museums, The Royal College of Arms, Government Buildings, Company Receptions, Board Rooms, Churches, The United Grand Lodge of England, HMS Victory, Cunard Ships, Public Spaces and both Stately and Private art collections from all over the World.

When appropriate Ian often produces the original 'master copy' for his bronze sculptures carved directly from wood, which are then carefully moulded, produced in wax and then cast in bronze and occasionally silver. Once the moulding process is complete the original woodcarving can then be polished and retained as a unique wood sculpture.

Osprey catching a Pike – lime --- Leaping Panther – Walnut – Swimming Otter -bronze and Tulip - Osprey catching a Pike -bronze

Many of Ian’s early limited edition bronzes 'master copies' in the early 1990's were originally carved from a single piece of hardwood which were then moulded and replicas cast in bronze including this ‘Osprey catching a Pike ‘carved from lime wood and then cast in bronze. This ‘Leaping Panther' and 'Swimming Otter were both ‘carved from Walnut and cast in bronze.

Ian’s sculptures have also been featured in various television programs and can also be found in books and on magazine covers and Ian was also featured by Country Life as a ‘Living National Treasure’ and images of Ian’s sculptures can also be found on a set of Royal Mail Postage Stamps featuring Windsor Castle issued in 2017.

Ian GB has been a professional Sculptor for the past four decades and has been commissioned to create a wide variety of almost three hundred unique sculptures created in very fine detail in wood. marble/resin, silver and bronze for Private and Corporate clients from all over the world.

Although Ian rarely exhibits in art galleries today the unique collection of wood carvings and bronze sculptures he has put together over the years to greater or less degree have been placed on display in a wide variety of other venues which have included the Queens Room on-board the Cunard Liner the Queen Elizabeth 2. On the middle gun deck of HMS Victory, at Burlington House; Home of the Royal Academy of Arts, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and also within the historic Royal setting of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The original Marsh Harrier woodcarving – Sterling Silver - limited edition bronze castings.—

This particular 18 inches high Marsh Harrier sculpture was originally carved from lime wood, moulded and then cast in solid sterling silver and later for a limited edition bronze. Art foundry can often take Ian’s original woodcarving in all its fine detail, make a mould and then cast replicas in sterling silver, or bronze and then the original woodcarving is safely returned.

Other sculptures such as the ‘Mute Swan protecting her Cygnets’ were originally carved from within a centuries old lime wood tree after it blew down in a storm in 2000. Around two decades later the Swan was ‘flown’ to an art foundry in the USA who then produced an enlarged clay replica which was then moulded and cast in bronze and placed alongside Lake Mirror Lakeland in Florida. This original carved Swan ‘Maquette’ woodcarving was then returned to Ian to potentially find a new home.

Photo courtesy S Brennan Photo courtesy ABF Photo courtesy P Gallagher

The original Mute Swan being carved alongside the Coronet for Princess Anne. The Princess Royal.

The wildly contracting commissions during the past forty years being a bespoke sculptor can often vary from one moment creating sculptures for Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey. To the next working in number 4 boat house in Portsmouth Dockyard carving the replacement Entrance Port for HMS Victory, with a view of the Victory in front of him being restored by those in the know after centuries of suffering from wars, neglect and the elements and a decade later carving on the boat deck of the QE2 on working on part of his latest commissioned carving a pair of large relief sculptures for the Grand Lobby of the Queen Victoria, with a view of Gibraltar in front of him where in 1805 the Victory was being towed for repairs after being badly damaged at the Battle of Trafalgar.

In 1989 Ian G Brennan was appointed ‘Sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and the Most Honourable Order of the Bath’ and since that time he has spent on average five months a year every year during the past two centuries commissioned for two different Sovereigns working on a wide variety of unique sculptures in both wood and bronze for the British Royal Household. Most of which were then placed on display in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and Henry V11 Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

Ian delivered the gilded Coronet he had created for Princess Anne; The Princess’s Royal for the Princess’s installation as a Lady of the Garter in 1994. HM the Queen in procession at Windsor Castle, from the Royal Apartments to St George's Chapel during the annual instillation of Royal Knights, Knights and Lady Companions of the Most Noble Order of the Garter inside St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle were over the decades over sixty of Ian’s sculptured Crowns, Coronets and Crests have been placed on display within the Medieval Chapel. St George’s Chapel was built in the 15th century and the burial place of 10 monarchs including Henry VIII, Charles I and the late Queen Elizabeth 11 and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England.

Westminster Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and since 1066 has been the location of the royal weddings and the Coronation of 40 English and British monarchs and also the final resting place of 18 Kings and Queens. For 35 years over seventy of Ian’s unique sculptures have been placed amongst the history and magnificence of two of the finest examples of medieval display art and craftsmanship in the world.

Henry V11 Chapel – St Georges’ Chapel

Currently there are over sixty of Ian’s totally unique sculptures on public display in the historic settings of Henry V11 Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. These commissions vary from creating Coronets ornate Crests and Crowns for both British and European royalty and also an Emperor. These often detailed bas-relief and three dimensions sculptures are also depicting animals, birds and the human form along with the more traditional heraldic carvings which include Regal Lions, Unicorns and Mythical Beasts.

There are often up to a dozen of these unique sculptures being worked on at the same time using coloured drawings which Ian is given to work from. The coronet for the Queen Consort shown in the studio prior to being placed in position in St George's Chapel alongside the gilded Coronet for The Princess Royal Ian produced three decades earlier.

For the most part, these commissions from the Royal Household which can take around five months of each year to complete, are quite evenly spaced out throughout the year which enables Ian to also continue working on his Private and Corporate commissions created in wood, marble resin, silver and bronze. During HM The Queen's Golden Jubilee year, Ian was working on sixteen totally unique sculptures throughout that period. Many of which were placed on public display in St George’s Chapel when the Crowned Heads of Europe also joined HM The Queen, other members of the Royal family and invited guests.

The wide contrast of commissions both large and smaller over the decades are as diverse as one day creating a Crown for a Queen, to the next carving a Stag for a British Prime Minister a carved and gilded Crest for an Emperor and during the past three plus decades Ian has also been the Crown maker for several Kings and Queens of Europe.

The Crowns for King Harold V1 of Norway – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands - Camilla Queen Consort - King Felipe of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

In 2008 on St George’s Day at Windsor Castle Ian was kindly informed by HM The Queen that HRH Prince William; The Duke of Cambridge, was to become the 1000 Knight of the Garter since 1348, to hold this the highest Order of Chivalry and was later commissioned to create Princess Williams Royal Crest and Sword. To be created in a similar style to that of Prince Edward. The Duke of Edinburgh – Prince Andrew. The Duke of York Ian produced three years earlier.

Prince William. The Prince of Wales -Prince Edward. The Duke of Edinburgh – Prince Andrew. The Duke of York with The Prince of Wales Crest and Sword now placed in position in St George’s Chapel. Windsor.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath service held in Westminster Abbey is today the premier meritorious Order of the Crown. Principally awarded to serving officers of the armed forces as well as to a limited number of civilian servants of the Crown who are not members of the Foreign Service. Originally membership comprised the Sovereign, the Great Master of the Order, and 36 Knights Grand Cross.

Inclusion in the Military Division, regarded as the highest class of British military honour obtainable, is governed by rank. Former members have included in the past such illustrious leaders as Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal Earl Kitchener, Field Marshal Earl Haig, and Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma. These Knights are entitled to have their Banners, Stall Plates and their unique Crests which Ian has been creating during the past 35 years are affixed upon their stalls and for many years has often kindly been invited to attend the Knights installation ceremonies.

During the 2017/18 period alone Ian received fourteen totally different sculpture commissions from the Royal Household, all to be placed on display in Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle. These commissions varied from creating detailed sculptures of a Falcon, Boar and Owl, to a carved Badger, Ram and a pair of Dogs. To then create gilded and jewelled Crowns for King Felipe V1 of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

The Crown for King Felipe V1 of Spain was completed in May 2018, twenty-nine years after Ian produced a similar Crown for the King's Father, King Juan Carlos which was also placed on display in St George’s Chapel in 1989. In early June 2019, the Crown also being worked on for King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was placed alongside the similar Crown Ian produced thirty years earlier for the King's Mother, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

During this typical busy period Ian’s other commissions were all for a wide spectrum of clients, in both wood and bronze which included a local craftsman, two directors of an art foundry, an Australian professor, as well as various sculptures commissioned for Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle including those for a Marshal of the RAF, an Admiral, four Knights of the Realm, three Lords, a former Olympic Gold Medallist and two European Kings.

During the 1990’s as a way of a hobby, he would move away from carving from newly seasoned timbers , to also carving timbers which had been reclaimed from often historic timbers some of which were a 1000 years old some a mere century old. Including from the Royal Yacht Britannia carved from the teak decking of the Royal Yacht Britannia. A carving of Windsor Castle carved from many centuries old oak from Windsor Castle.

A scene from the Battle of Trafalgar carved from one the Hull frames of one of the 18th century warships that was actually there at the time; HMS Victory and create a bronze relief carving of the Victory damaged after the battle, set upon a piece of original Victory oak also removed from within the Victory’s timbers that also survived the battle, but alas not always general wear and tear, rot and woodworm.

The collection also includes sculptures created from these kindly donated materials from HMS Victory built in the 17th century and the Royal Yacht Britannia built in the 20th century. Along with the Cutty Sark, a classic J Class Yacht, a Rolls Royce and a 1940’s Supermarine Spitfire and one object contained carving of a small Velociraptor discovered hidden inside a Dinosaur fossil found on a beach after the tide went out on the Isle of White in the 20th century.

Several years ago whilst Ian was working in his studio built alongside the woods where the local wildlife often venture into his studio he discovered a suckling Sow Badger was found at the bottom of the garden trying to hide under the Camellia surrounded by several Crows making the sounds only Crows can make, who were far too interested in the badger for his liking. She was semi-conscious, dehydrated, malnourished and in need of urgent assistance which of course Ian gave, all under the watchful gaze of the noisy Crows from above as he did so.

Today the sow badger now named ‘Patch’ is a frequent visitor often along with her family in the garden and inside the studio whilst he is working. This time a fox cub is also taking interest in a carved scene taken from one of Ian's favourite Turner paintings ‘The Battling Temeraire,’ Which is depicting HMS Temeraire being ignominiously towed away for scrap a decade or so after the Ship and her heroic crew saved HMS Victory from potential oblivion in 1805 at the height of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Bas-relief relief carving is currently being carved from an original piece of centuries old Victory oak removed from the orlop deck during the restoration process where centuries earlier Admiral Lord Nelson lay mortally wounded. Once completed the ‘Temeraire Revisited’ bas-relief oak carving will be part of the ‘History in the Making Collection’ currently being worked on from original historic British objects and materials that were actually there centuries ago when its history was being made.

is part of a totally unique collection of over forty sculptures created from old historic, often iconic British objects and materials. Some of which were simply recovered from a skip, others at an auction, other materials were kindly gifted by various people Ian worked with on restoration projects up and down the lands, as they were all deemed to be beyond restoration and alas deemed ‘not fit for purpose.’ But three decades later and counting all inadvertently became for me the ultimate restoration projects …

Although Ian GB has been a professional Sculptor for the past four decades and has been commissioned to create a wide variety of often almost three hundred unique sculptures created in very fine detail in wood. marble/resin, silver and bronze for Private and Corporate clients from all over the world.

Including creating a wide variety of over one hundred and fifty unique sculptures for the British Royal Household. These bespoke commissions have included creating sculptures for over one hundred Knights, four British Prime Ministers, twenty-eight British and European Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Earls, Baroness’s, Lords an Emperor and more recently in 2023 amongst other things creating his latest such sculptures this time of an Eagle and Hound to be placed in Westminster Abbey and the Mute Swan Crest for former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair along with the Crown for HM Queen Camilla to be placed in Windsor Castle.

All of which came about quite by chance…..

Five Decades ago in a different time and place.

Ian’s transformation from a professional cabinet maker to professional sculptor began in 7thMay 984 when he found he found himself with no stock, machinery, tools, or a workshop with electricity, walls and especially a roof. After the workshop fire along with waiting customers who had paid stage and final payments for their recently completed furniture, including a cedar wood kitchen corner seating unit and table. A fully fitted solid oak kitchen and the remaining solid mahogany galley units recently completed for the classic 1930’s J Class Yacht Velsheda. All highly polished and just waiting to be delivered and fitted in position.

Fragments of blackened timbers and customers’ orders occasionally still glowing from the intense heat of the fire left blackened burnt timbers covered by layers of thick grey dust that in the odd place underneath were glowing red hot and with each gust of wind, fragments of what remained of his furniture business, income and customers long awaited furniture orders, would gently fly away into the night sky like tiny Chinese lanterns……

All that remained amongst the rubble was the burnt out outline of several large woodworking machines that the day before were running like a saw and earning their keep and also bedding for next-door rabbits. When during the clear up that followed he discovered amongst the rubble a small blackened piece of elm wood that had burnt into a rough outline shape of a leaping dolphin and although the fire raging during the middle of the night had destroyed his career as a cabinet maker, at the simultaneously ignited his new career as a professional sculptor and changed his stars…..

Initially by replacing the furniture orders lost in the fire amongst the rubble amongst the rubble of his burnt out workshop which overnight was being transformed into the local tip. But in daylight after a space was cleared and his workbench set up. Ian began to replace all the lost orders and once completed and delivered he also started working on other items of furniture alongside wood sculptures both large and small, as slowly a new craft would appear to be rising up from amongst the charred ashes of another.

Success is often not about how high you climb, but how long you can hang on’.

With the small Elmwood original ‘leaping dolphin' found amongst the ruins of my burnt out workshop long placed in a drawer in the studio for almost four decades and although the carving was long forgotten as the lessons learnt remained and put to good use almost three decades later when he was kindly given several old oak beams originally from the many centuries old roof timbers of St Georges Hall after the Great Fire in the royal apartments in Windsor Castle. From the most fire damaged oak beam salvaged after the fire in the Castle Ian carved in high base relief, an image of a ‘Phoenix Rising from the Ashes’ and from another less damaged piece of 1000 year old oak from St George’s Hall, Ian carved an image of ‘St George Slaying the Dragon’. Both of which of course were always hidden away inside the beams.

Oak timbers from the royal apartments at Windsor Castle were removed after the fire.

The ‘History on the Making’ collection also includes sculptures created from these kindly donated materials from HMS Victory built in the 18th century and the Royal Yacht Britannia built in the 20th. Along with the Cutty Sark, a classic J Class Yacht, a Rolls Royce and a 1940’s Supermarine Spitfire and one contained carving of a small Velociraptor discovered hidden inside a Dinosaur fossil found on a beach after the tide went out on the Isle of White in the 20th century.

With everything online in a digital world, there is value in physical history.

‘The original function for this material has long gone, but its history remains’.

Since the late 1980’s Ian has also undertaken many public speaking engagements and presentations when he rather reluctantly gave his first Talk about his work and how it all came about, in the local a Church Hall, when he was approached by one of the village elders about him giving such a Talk and he couldn’t talk his way out of it.

The one hour talk went surprisingly well considering his initial apprehension and further informal talks soon followed in a wide variety of different places raging to from local Village Halls to Burlington House, Home of the Royal Academy of Arts and exactly twenty one years to the very day of the workshop fire that started it all, Ian was also invited to give his first Talk in Windsor castle about his new career as a woodcarver and sculptor. Then standing in the medieval St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle where over twenty of his unique sculptures were placed on display at the time around the walls in the Choir of this historic Chapel. In front of him were a selection of his wood and bronze sculptures he brought with him for display and behind him in the Medieval chapel was an ancient Altar cloth depicting a Phoenix rising from the Ashes....

Other Talks and presentations followed including in the Queens room on the QE2 surrounded by abject luxury and weeks later he was invited to give another Talk at Windsor this time held in the Castles Dungeon surrounded by ten feet thick walls.

For the past thirty two years Ian has also been invited to participate as a guest speaker on Cunard’s ‘Enrichment’ Program sailing on all seven of their Luxurious Ships The Caronia, The Queen Elizabeth 2, The Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Victoria the Queen Mary 2 and the new Ship the Queen Anne where Ian was invited to be a speaker on Queen Anne’s Maiden Voyage…..

These various fully illustrated talks and presentations include the trials and tribulations of one moment being a carpenter for the local community, to the next being a sculptor for all over the world. After many of his Talks it was often suggested, he should write a book about it and how it all came about and when several years ago one of the grandchildren apparently asked their Dad“ What does Badger Grandad make in his shed” ….Ian then finally decided to do just that which will include many of the very high and also very low points and oh so much more in between with sections of the first rough draft to be added here shortly.

Page under construction

Ian G Brennan

sculptoriangb@gmail.com

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