Ian Marlow b. 1955

Marlow is a sculptor, draughtsman and poet. He was first introduced to sculpture at grammar school in Northumberland and it became his chosen source for artistic expression. On leaving art college, he began his professional life working in stone, creating large works in limestone, alabaster and marble. In 2004 he was commissioned by a corporate client to create two sculptures in stainless steel and this led him to explore this material further. Inspired by the play of light on its surface, it very quickly became his primary medium for sculpting and he embraced the opportunities the material offered.

Marlow grew up in the countryside with the woods as his playground and he developed an affinity with and love of the natural world which has always been the focus and inspiration for his work. He believes that it is this affinity with nature that gives his sculptures their universal appeal. The shimmering materials that Marlow employs adapt to the changing light and the natural fluidity of their form interacts with their surroundings. The simple, graceful lines of Marlow’s sculptures make bold and dynamic impacts whilst sitting harmoniously in locations that range from formal or traditional gardens, natural landscapes or minimalist urban settings.

There is a bold freshness in the way Marlow uses stainless steel that defies the hardness of metal so that the material becomes lost and unnoticed in the flowing shapes he creates. He applies a texture to the surface by hand which makes his sculptures shimmer and change as they pick up and reflect subtle colours from their surroundings. The patterns created by this texturing appear to move with you as you move around the sculpture, transforming the surface from brightest silver to darkest grey. The shift of daylight, weather and seasons creates an ever-changing vibrancy in the work and makes an imaginative and creative transformation from rigid stainless steel to organic form.

A member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, Marlow exhibits widely and is regularly commissioned by private and corporate clients.