Abey & Smallcombe @ Broomhill
We have asked the artist to provide a statement about their work, an edited personal history, and a selection of exhibitions and commissions. The content here is entirely their words and selection. Works illustrated here have been chosen by the artist.
The works shown on this page are not necessarily on display at Broomhill.
The Artists Speak
“We work in collaboration, as one artist, creating sculptures and sculptural buildings using cob. Cob is a local traditional building material used for centuries in the South West. It is made from a mixture of sub soil, straw and water and over 40 000 cob buildings still exist in Devon alone.
“Our aim is to promote the sustainability of this environmentally friendly material. Cob is a wonderfully sculptural medium, its texture and strength have allowed us to explore form, light, scale and contrast. Stimulated by it's powerful organic qualities it has become our emotional and creative response to the natural world. Our passion for the material has driven our ideas from the start, allowing us to express ourselves in a very individual way.
Background
Jill Smallcombe
- BA Hons Degree in Fine Art Sculpture from Bath Academy
- Interior Designer
- Sculptor
- Cob Builder
- Teaches practical skills of cob building to children and adults
Jackie Abey
- Painter
- Illustrator
- Sculptor
- Cob Builder
- Teaches practical skills of cob building to children and adults
Exhibitions and Commissions
- Cob Visitor Facility for The Eden Project
- Cornwall Markers Cottage Summer House
- National Trust Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey
- The Architecture Centre
- Bristol Spacex Gallery, Exeter
- 'Terra 2000', International Earth Conference
- Chelsea Flower Show
- Broomhill Sculpture Garden, Barnstaple
- Cotehele, National Trust Property, Cornwall
- Phoenix Gallery, Exeter
- 'Nine Days of Art' open studio trail
- On Form, Sculpture Exhibition, Asthall, Burford, Oxon
- The Mythic Garden, Chagford
- Chagford Festival
- Hatherleigh Festival
We give talks and slide shows about cob buildings in general and our sculptural work and also run cob workshops instructing both adults and children.
