Norfolk Postman Wins First Art Commission
A Norfolk postman has been given his first art commission – to produce a piece of public artwork for a new housing development at Shipdham.
Carl Preston, from Scarning, has been a keen amateur sculptor for more than 25 years. Now Watton-based Abel Homes has commissioned him to produce a carved oak sign for its oak Meadow site at Shipdham, where it is building 43 new family homes.
Mr Preston, who works as a postman, will create the 3 foot by 2 foot bas-relief from a single piece of English oak, featuring an oak tree and the name Oak Meadow.
Abel Homes commissions a piece of public artwork from a Norfolk artist for each of its new developments – but this is the first time the commission has been the artist’s first.
“A friend saw in the EDP that Abels were looking for ideas for their Shpdham site,” said Mr Preston. “They brought me the cutting and said I ought to go for it. I visited the site and was inspired to come up with a design, and when Abel Homes rang me to say they were going with my idea, I was so happy. I’m really looking forward to creating something which will be at the heart of this new community.”
Mr Preston first started sculpting when he met his wife Valerie, more than 25 years ago. Stuck for ideas about what to get her for Christmas, he decided to make a cat out of a piece of wood. Valerie was so pleased, he has made her cats for every birthday and Christmas since.
Since then, he has branched out in his hobby, working in metal as well as wood, making things ranging from jewellery to weather vanes. But the Shipdham sign is the first professional commission he has undertaken. It will be made in his shed-workshop at his Scarning home.
“We like to use local artists to create the public artworks that we commission for each of our new sites,” explained Natasha Goddard, sales and marketing manager at Abel Homes. “We were presented with some good concepts after we appealed for ideas amongst the Norfolk artistic community, but Carl’s design really stood out.
“We are delighted to be the first to give him a commission. Carl is a very talented artist, and his design really captures the essence both of Shipdham, and the new community we have created at the heart of the village.”
The 43 family homes at Shipdham combine traditional exterior designs with the latest contemporary design features and energy-efficient features inside. The two-, three- and four-bedroom homes are situated right in the heart of Shipdham, next to the church.
Four years ago Abel Homes undertook to commission a piece of public art for each of its new sites, and this is the sixth commission since then, with works installed at Hingham, Old Catton in Norwich, Swaffham and Drayton on the outskirts of Norwich. A life-sized collage of a shire horse by Hilborough artist Harriet Mead is currently being made, and is due to be installed in Watton later this year.