Outlined here is just a small example of the wide variety of contemporary sculptures Ian G Brennan has created during the past two decades and although many of his commissions for private clients and particularly for the Royal Household may not be shown on this website, contemporarysculptor.com. does however give a good idea of the typical style and detail that sculptor Ian G Brennan has created in both his woodcarvings and bronze sculpture commissions over the years. 

---

Osprey catching a Pike -  Leaping Panther  -  Swimming Otter  -  Swan with Cygnets  -  Sleeping Leopard 

bronze                     bronze                         bronze                     bronze                 bronze 

66 inches  (188cm) high     -     45 inches (115cm) long  -   43 inches (119cm) high  -    27 inches (69cm) high    -    20 inches (51cm) high  

 

 

All five bronze wildlife sculptures above, three of which being life size were originally carved from a single piece of English walnut or lime wood, moulded and then cast in bronze.

 

 

---

 

British contemporary sculptor Ian G Brennan is one of those rather rare breed of Artists that both carves and casts and for over twenty years Ian has been not only been commissioned to create Woodcarvings and Bronze sculpture for private and corporate clients, but also commissioned to produce a wide variety of sculptures for both British and European Royalty and the Nobility, several British Prime Ministers as well as other Heads of State.

 

Ian first became a professional wood carver in 1984 and later in 1996 also began producing his contemporary sculpture in bronze initially using his original wood carvings as the master copy for these bronzes. Ian's first exhibition in an art gallery was in Mayfair, London and then he began exhibiting his realistic wood carvings and bronze sculpture widely throughout the UK. Throughout 1990 the Museum Service also toured many of Ian sculptures as a 'one man' exhibition to various  museums. During the past decade however as Ian has been busy working mostly to commission such exhibitions in private art galleries are today a rather rare event

 

Although today Ian rarely exhibits in art galleries, the unique collection of his wood carvings and bronze sculpture he has managed to put together over the years have been exhibited almost exclusively in somewhat more formal surroundings, which have included Museums; The Queens Room on-board the Cunard Liner Queen Elizabeth 2;  Burlington House; Home of the Royal Academy of Arts and also within the historic Royal setting of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

 

Ian G Brennan's latest commissions for the Royal Family were a pair of similar sculptures created for HM The Queen's two sons, HRH Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex and HRH Prince Andrew The Duke of York when they were appointed Royal Knights of the Garter. Both of these sculptures were delivered to Windsor Castle in 2007. In February/March and of this year, a further two sculptures commissioned by the Royal Household in 2007 were also completed and delivered.

 

---

 

 

The white and gilded bronze Royal Unicorn sculpture in St George's Chapel Windsor Castle along with a similar version finished with the traditional bronze patina 

Bronze

 

 

 

  Bas-relief carving for St Mary's Church, Warsash, Hampshire.

( 7 feet high X  10 feet wide )

 

 

       HMS Victory                                              HMS Victory sculpture

HMS Victory restoration; Ian's carved replacement starboard side entrance port  -   HMS Victory model ; scale1:83 carved from original HMS Victory oak

 

Nelson's Flagships history and restoration       -       Carved in full sail from original HMS Victory oak

 

---

 

 

Click to enlarge

In 1989 Ian was officially appointed the 'Sculptor to the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Most Honourable Order of the Bath' and since then spends on average four  months of each year working exclusively on a wide variety of woodcarvings and bronze sculpture for the British Royal Household. To date Ian has received over 85 commissions from the Royal Household with many of these sculptures now  in Windsor Castle. As well as these  commissions for the British Royal Family, there have also  been a variety of commissions for other foreign Royal Families including HM King Juan Carlos of Spain, HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, HM King Harald of Norway and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan.

The Queen Victoria Crest and modern Cunard Logo in Ian' studio commissioned for the Grand Lobby of the new Cunard Liner the Queen Victoria

                   40 inches x 58 inches high                                    40 inches wide  x  35 inches high.  

For further details and stage photographs showing how both Cunard bas relief sculptures were produced; please click appropriate photographs. 

---

 

 

 

 

The plaster 'master copy' for a bronze Crucifix

 

 

 

 

 

The life size 'Osprey catching a Pike' original wood carving 'master copy' alongside the bronze limited edition 

 

please click to enlarge

These web pages also show how some of the British artist Ian G Brennan's original wildlife woodcarvings, realistic bronze sculptures, coats of arms and crests are produced using stage photographs. A selection of these wood carvings are also shown being carved directly from the tree to the completed polished or painted wood sculpture; how a flexible rubber mould can be made which will enable a wood carving to be accurately reproduce in wax and then cast in Bronze.

Shown below are just a small sample of the many diverse wood carving and bronze sculpture by Ian G Brennan that can be found within these web page's  

Click photo's below

ContemporarySculptor.com

by 

Suzanne Cavill

suzanne@suzannecavill.com

For further information about Ian's work, or details about commissioning an original woodcarving, bronze sculpture or limited edition bronze; 

please contact Ian G Brennan at :-

Shown below are various other web pages which illustrate with stage photo's not only how Ian produces some of his realistic  woodcarvings, coats of arms and crests, but also outlines the mould making process which will enable replica's of some of the artists original sculptures to then be cast in bronze or silver.

Stages of The HMS Victory  Sculpture   Stages of a Relief Carving   Stages of creating a Bronze

       Stages of creating a Mould    Stages of creating a Crest  Creating a Sculpture

These photographs taken at St George's Chapel Windsor Castle are used with the kind permission of The Deans and Canons of Windsor, permission for further use of these images must be sought from the Chapter Office, The Cloisters, Windsor Castle.  

These photographs taken at Henry V11 Chapel Westminster Abbey are used with kind permission of The Dean and Chapter of Westminster, permission for further use of these images must be  sought from the Chapter Office, Westminster Abbey, 20 Dean's Yard. London.