Garry Ault
From postman to Hollywood sculptor: delving into the world of local artist Garry Ault and his creative journey.
Can you give us an introduction to you and your work?
Well of course. I am an artist working primarily in sculpture. I do dabble in the odd oil painting every now and then, but that is more of a hobby for me these days than a profession. I am deeply fascinated by the human form, its beauty, symmetry and complexity and its ability to convey a story. Whether it be an expression of emotion or personality, virtues and character. Sculpture has an incredible way of capturing this. If done right (smiley face). So that is my jam, that is what I do. For the past ten years I have been primarily sculpting pop culture icons. These range from all sorts of subjects such as movies, TV, comic book characters, music icons, famous figures and sports personalities. I work with private clients on commission work. These clients have ranged from your basic comic book fan looking for a new Batman statue for his man cave, all the way to high end clients such as Arnold Schwarzenegger. I have also worked for companies such as Disney and Marvel. Occasionally I get a call to work on actual movies. Working in the props, special effects or the creature department. If the film and work excites me, then I will always take on the challenge.
We’d love to know your story! What is your background that led you up to this point?
I came into sculpting about 12 years ago, before then I worked as a postman for Royal Mail. But I had strong ambitions to pursue an art career, so in 2011 I made the scary decision to leave a secure job and try something new, exciting and very risky. Originally I wanted to be an action figure toy sculptor. I was obsessed with action figures growing up. I say growing up but this obsession is still with me now that I am in my forties. I reached out to some toy and comic book merchandise producers that I had admired for advice, and it was suggested that I show my work to art directors and companies at the San Diego Comic Con. So I travelled to the USA and did just that. It was an inspiring and informative trip that presented a number of opportunities. Upon returning home and reflecting on the trip I decided I needed to learn more and gain some in-depth skill and knowledge in this area. I applied to the model making course at Arts University Bournemouth and got accepted. Whilst there I formed a professional relationship and good friendship with a visiting lecturer who worked in the movie industry. He was impressed by my work and ambition and so for the next 3 years during term breaks, such as Easter and Summer, I would work in movie pre-production. This gained me huge experience in a short space of time. After graduating and undertaking some freelance work I made the decision to start my own fine art company, deciding once again to walk away from a potentially very successful career in the movie industry to go it alone. I know it's cliché but, it’s better to try and fail than never try at all.
I started my fine art business in 2015. My work focuses on producing pop culture characters but as fine art bronze artworks. Characters such as Superman, Spiderman, Conan the Barbarian and Predator, to name a few. One of my sculptures was of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator. Through fate or chance, this sculpture went viral and before I knew it I was selling sculpture works to the man himself.
I kind of experienced a sudden huge success and went from zero to 100 in minutes. From that point I provided sculpture works for numerous high-profile clients and companies. It was all a bit much for a one man operation and I was taking on far too much than I could handle. I felt my feet had barely touched the ground and everything got a bit overwhelming. As a result in 2017 I slowed things down, took a step back and became a father. Now my daughter is a bit older and I once again have more disposable time on my hands, I'm back to inject more life back into my art career.
Do you have any exciting events in the pipeline?
Loads, so much to do, so little time. I've just spent six months in Morocco sculpting for the new Gladiator 2 movie. No, Russell Crowe isn't in it, and that's all I'm able to say at the moment. It was an amazing experience and opened up a new level of confidence for me going forward. It gave me new insights and new directions to explore with my work.
Now home and going forward, I am working on some original sculpture works, focussing on figurative balance, movement and dance. I'm not stopping with the creatures and bespoke pop culture subject matter, but looking to attract a more diverse client base. I have some new wildlife pieces that I am hugely excited about, as it's entering new territory for me, having spent 10 years sculpting the human form.
I am also very passionate about supporting and growing the arts and artists here within the great town of Bournemouth. I am in the process of pitching an art installation statue for the town, this will be a figurative fine art piece based around a particular subject matter that is linked to the town–once again I can't give away too much on that one.
The thing I am most excited about is my ambition to open an art creative hub. This hub will nurture and grow local artists together with providing events, exhibitions, workshops and classes, primarily focussed on more traditional disciplines of art. We already have Arts By The Sea and BEAF which showcases more contemporary forms of art with performance, but I would like to provide a platform for those traditional artists out there. Painters, sculptors, makers, potters, photographers, visual artists. I feel it's challenging finding affordable studio space here in town, especially space to get messy. I have engaged with dozens of local artists looking to get involved, so I would like to encourage any artist, investor and interested party to get in touch with me.
Website → garryaultsculpture.com
Instagram → @garryaultsculpture
