Anthony Tanner

ArtistSculptor

Jul 13

Written By Claudia Elliott

I trained as a dentist and worked professionally in several capacities until retirement in 2003. Then came my "bucket list"-
Learn to sail: buy a boat: cross the Atlantic and a myriad of other risk-prone adventures.
"Very late-onset mid-life crisis," said, friends :( at least the 3rd said I)
Along the way, I dabbled in acrylics, and although I could paint very good copies of portrait photos, I could never achieve a convincing result painting real people.
In 2018 with my 75th birthday on the horizon, I began to think about less risky hobbies that might last me into my dotage.
I've always been a bit of a Jackdaw, attracted to shiny metal -
And so it came to pass that I decided to have a go at stainless steel sculpture.
So I took a one-day welding course and emerged an "expert "(not), bought a load of very ancient, very cheap but clapped-out machines and transformed my garage into a workshop.
I decided at the outset to try and use recycled metals scavenged from scrapyards wherever possible.
Thence began a long and very steep learning curve ( almost vertical on occasions and sometimes overhanging).
So I became a self-taught metal worker and metal sculptor and along the way learned a little about electromechanical systems.
After 6 months of hard work my first large piece emerged. ”Buddhas Enlightened – A metaphor for Change” which combined traditional metalworking techniques with modern technology.
Family and friends were very surprised by the result which had been under wraps till completion - "you seem to have a knack" said one - all the more surprising as I'd never before shown any symptoms!
And so, having very recently connected with my "inner sculptor", and armed with newly found skills and a recipe I had stumbled on in my first project, I felt emboldened to have a go at Chaiya 2020 - theme,- "God is...."
“Light at the end of the Tunnel – a Metaphor for Hope” was the outcome and I was fortunate enough to make it through to the winner’s exhibition in May 2021 at the OXO Tower Gallery in London.
My most recent work is a Covid inspired small-scale working prototype to demonstrate the principle of my ideas for a much larger work, which I hope to build as a commissioned piece.
📹 Video - Going Viral Sculpture