|
|
Humphrey Bowden Copper Fountain Designer and Maker
.
Humphrey Bowden Fountain Designer and Maker
Telephone 01798 344114 Email humphreybowden@aol.com
Humphrey
Bowden is a designer and maker of unusual sculptural fountains, mainly
based on slender plant and tree shapes. These allow water flow to be
carefully controlled, to provide subtle visual impact and sound.
His
work has been extensively covered in national and international media.
All designs are original and each fountain is made individually for the
client, so as to interpret his or her ideas. Fountains or other
sculpture can be commissioned for any location, from a pond in a private
garden to a corporate atrium or large public space. A number of
fountains are exhibited annually at the Hampton Court Palace Flower
Show.
The
fountains are hand beaten from pure copper and silver brazed together,
to be permanently resistant to the elements. The warm gold and reddish
colours formed naturally when the copper is heated gradually weather to
take on the characteristic grey-green patina.
View the main fountain gallery...
Fig Tree Fountain - First New Design in 2013
This
fountain has the slim trunk and large rounded leaves typical of a
juvenile fig tree in the South of France. The copper leaves are cut by
hand and beaten to shape, before being brazed to the delicate stems and
trunk of the tree. Water is fed at four different pressures, so that all
leaves stream or drip water into the pond below, to make a wonderful
light splashing sound.
Fountain Events in 2012
The year
started with a commission in the UK to design a new fountain with three
fish spouting water I had never made a fish fountain before and the
nearest thing was a snake fountain made for GlaxoSmithKline in 2000. In
order to get the fish to look realistic I decided to make them with a
copper skeleton covered with copper scales. I cut the curve of each
scale by hand and brazed them in strips round the skeleton, to overlap. I
made the head and tail by beating them out of copper sheet. Th overall
result worked well, with the fish looking alive, as they spouted water
over each other. The wet scales showed wonderful variations of red/gold colours.
Later
in the year I designed another fish fountain to exhibit on my stand at
the Hampton Court Show. This one had a more dynamic shape of two
intertwining japanese carp. The water spout from each fish was designed
to collapse in mid air to shower him with drops of water, again showing
wonderful colours and making an interesting splashing sound.
There
were two interesting commissions for fountains to go abroad. The first
was for a large Catalpa Tree to go on a terrace overlooking sea in
Mallorca. I love making fountains inspired by this tree because it gives
you so much freedom to explore curving sinuous branches. The large
heart-shaped leaves are a pleasure to make; after cutting and curving
their basic shape, you hammer the intricate veining into them with steel
chisels. The overall form of the tree is quite complicated, but it
works very well as you see it with all the leaves streaming or dripping
water, which shines in the sunlight.
The second commission was
for a tall Acer Palmatum tree fountain, designed for a mediterranean
garden near Albi in the South of France. This tree is another of my
favourites, with its graceful branches and slender finger-shaped leaves
which droop downwards. The fountain was designed so that water drips or
streams from the fingers of each leaf and falls to the pond below with a
gentle sound like rainfall. It is quite heavy and awkward to set up,
but my son Garth, who lives near Limoux, further South came to help. He
is a painter and does wonderful drawings, but he worked with me for a
while and has made beautiful fountains.
Catalpa Tree in Mallorca
Second New Fish Fountain for Hampton Court
This
fountain has a pair of Japanese carp, twisting round each other and
spitting columns of water into the air. The water columns collapse, to
spray the fhe fish with glistening showers of water which highlight
their bronze coloured scales and gills. Each fish is made with a copper
skeleton covered with beautiful copper scales, the whole intricately
hand made.
The fountain was shown for the first time on my stand at Hampton Court (July 3rd to 8th, 2012).
First Fish Fountain
The
first of a series of new fountain designs has been commissioned and was
installed in a private garden. The fountain is a trio of fish leaping
out of the water, with their tails curving upward. They are made in
great detail, with overlapping copper scales on a copper skeleton, to
produce a very lfelike appearance. They project water upwards from their
open mouths, to splash down on their mates.
water glistens on their scales and provides a delicate splashing sound as it falls in the pool below.
Acer Palmatum Fountain for Albi, France
This
fountain was designed in 2012 for a mediterranean garden near Albi in
the South of France. It has the slender stems and delicate curving
leaves of this Acer tree an drips water from the trailing fingers of
each leaf.
Early
fountain designs were commissioned for show gardens at the Hampton
Court and Chelsea Flower shows and this has continued. Other commissions
built up rapidly in the UK, mainly for private gardens, but also for
public and commercial spaces. His work has been comissioned for
countries in Europe, North America, the Far East and Africa.
He
works mainly in copper, because it can be formed to make delicate and
intricate shapes, which are strong. It can also be heated to produce
warm red/brown oxide colours, which eventually weather to an attractive
grey green patina.
Humphrey
Bowden originally trained as a research scientist at Cambridge and
spent several years designing and developing new products in industry.
He left in 1990 to work for himself. He had always had a strong interest
in painting and sculpture and was excited by the idea of making
fountains in organic shapes, because they have such an affinity with
water.
Fountains have been exhibited in medal winning show
gardens at Chelsea and Hampton Court for a number of years, and there
have been many commissions in the UK and abroad.
Significant Projects: - click here to view these
Large Gunera fountain for Strand Building, Hackney.
Large Ricinus fountain for private garden, Switzerland.
Asplenium fountain for show garden, Hampton Court.
Bamboo fountain for Ambassador's Residence, Ivory Coast.
Passiflora fountain for the Isabel Hospice, Hertfordshire.
Swirling Bowl fountain for show garden, Hampton Court.
Aesculapean Snake Fountain for GlaxoSmithKline.
Farfugium Fountain for the Botanic Garden Singapore.
Lotus Fountain for the Hindu Temple, North London.
NUMEROUS FOUNTAINS FOR PRIVATE GARDENS.
Click below for more details:
   Recent Fountain Designs
I am happy to advise on suitable settings and water areas for the fountains. FOUNTAINS CAN ALSO BE VIEWED IN OUR GARDEN BY APPOINTMENT. 6 Park Terrace, Tillington, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 9AE, UK. | You are viewing results 1 to 1 of 1 |
| You are viewing results 1 to 1 of 1 |
|
|
