About this lot

Description

§ Guy Taplin, (British, born 1939), Chaffinch polychrome painted wood, metal and driftwood, signed, titled and dated 2000 to underside 23cm (9in)
Other Notes: Guy Taplin was born in Whitechapel in London’s East End. During the war he moved to Hereford where he was surrounded by nature. This began his love and passion for nature and his obsession with birds. He sought escapism from the modern world, admiring the tranquility and beauty of nature that was represented in birds. For him birds provided a passage into the natural world. Having moved back to London, he worked as a gardener of Regent’s Park. He later worked as a bird keeper. At this time, Taplin began carving and sculpting the birds, later being known as the ‘bird man’. Taplin also had a keen interest in Buddhism and for a while considered becoming a monk. However, he later turned his full attention onto the production of his sculptures. His sculptures are made from driftwood found on the Essex coast. In this way his sculptures are presenting us with both the sea and the sky. The use of driftwood is integral to his work, with recycled material forming part of a natural cycle. The materials he uses are therefore part of a different story or history. The sculptures are not only carved from driftwood but also attached to further pieces of driftwood. The simplicity of the birds is extremely important to Taplin, this being the main aim of his work - providing a reflection of the beauty and simplicity of nature. He aims to go beyond the bird’s likeness towards depicting the very essence and spirit of the bird, with his passion and love for his subject being the main driving force for his work.

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