WORK OF THE WEEK: Nigel Ross, Merula, 2023

Nigel Ross
Merula, 2023
Charred sycamore
90 x 225 x 45 cm
35 ⅖ x 88 ½ x 18 in.

Nigel Ross' practice emerged from a career working in forestry on the Isle of Arran, after a childhood spent in rural Hertfordshire surrounded by woodland. By the mid-nineties, Ross was working fulltime as a sculptor and maker. Based in Perthshire in Scotland, Nigel Ross carves abstract sculpture and seating from entire trunks of fallen wood, creating continuous shapes and forms – the rhythms and energy of nature being a constant inspiration.

Nigel Ross first exhibited with New Art Centre in 2004 and again in 2007. Since then, his sculptural seating has become a permanent feature within the Sculpture Park. His works have been placed in private and public collections in the UK and the United States, including Chatsworth House, Derbyshire; Canary Wharf, London, and the Woodland Trust, Scotland. Ross often works to commission, fabricating bespoke sculpture, seating and architectural interventions for both public and private spaces internationally.

Nigel Ross
Merula, 2023

Nigel Ross
Bruach Oak, 2024
Oak
88 x 160 x 88 cm
34 ⅗ x 63 x 34 ⅗ in.

Bruach Oak is part of a new departure for Nigel Ross, creating sculptural seating for indoor spaces. The soft curve of the wood forms a comfortable seat, together with a flat surface to the right of the sitter, which acts as an armrest or small table.