'I work all the time,’ declares James Butler MBE, RA, RWA, FRBS. ‘Every day, I go into the studio in the morning and set about things. I don’t know any other way to live.’
At 86, Mr Butler is one of Britain’s most distinguished figurative sculptors, with the infectious enthusiasm of a much younger man and an output of work stretching across 60-plus years.
Since 1972, when he was commissioned to sculpt a statue of the then Kenyan president, Jomo Kenyatta, which now stands in the centre of Nairobi, Mr Butler has continued to create important works of art that grace public places all over Britain and the world.
Working principally in clay, which is then cast in bronze, his subjects have included William Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, Field-Marshal Harold Alexander, Lt-Gen Sir John Moore, Richard III, The Queen Mother and Dame Joan Sutherland.
He’s currently crafting a companion piece for his Rainbow Division memorial at Croix Rouge Farm in France. The poignant First World War memorial portrays an American soldier carrying his fallen comrade: ‘When I was modelling it, the figure of the American soldier took on the mantle of an angel and I began to feel very spiritual about it, which was quite spooky, because I’m not particularly religious. It was as if the sculpture took on a life of its own.’
The volume of sculptures that Mr Butler has produced is quite staggering. ‘I’ve never counted, but we’re talking about hundreds of works,’ he cheerfully admits. When asked which one he’d rescue from a burning room, the artist replies: ‘A lifesized statue of my daughter, Saskia, dressed in her tutu.’
The Blackpool rock maker: ‘We’ve done Marmite flavour, tikka-masala flavour – whatever the customer wants’
Tessa Waugh meets Coronation World – the makers of this seaside speciality.
The political cartoonist: 'Politicians hate how I depict them, but they'd hate it even more if I ignored them'
Peter Brookes, political cartoonist at The Times, is a savage commentator and the spiritual successor to the likes of Gillray
Credit: ©Richard Cannon/Country Life Picture Library
The glass-eye maker: ‘I make sure that the eye fits, but psychology comes into my work as well’
Tessa Waugh meets Jost Haas, the only remaining maker of glass eyes working in Britain today.
-
The city where The Beatles played for two years? Country Life Quiz of the Day10 questions to test your memory, nous and instinct for a wild guess.
-
A sublime Huf Haus in West Sussex with some of the finest gardens in the countyWhitehanger in the Marley Heights was built in 2011 and is ' functional, affordable and easy to maintain'.
-
The 21st century sword maker: 'There’s something appealing about getting metal hot and smacking it with a hammer'Practising ancient techniques to craft modern heirlooms, bladesmith Owen Bush handmakes both decorative and practical knives or weaponry, each with their own personalities, says Claire Jackson — with some of his swords celebrities in their own right. Photographs by Richard Cannon for Country Life.
-
The secrets of the basket-maker: 'With a basket, you watch it grow before your very eyes'Anna Stickland has woven a new career as a basket-maker; she spoke to Nick Hammond.
-
Where I Work: Huw Edwards-Jones, master craftsman and canoe makerThe ups and downs of 2020 didn't see Huw Edwards-Jones change where he worked, but it did change what he did: he's used the time to switch from creating beautiful hand-made furniture to spectacularly beautiful canoes. He spoke to Toby Keel.
-
In Focus — The Cotswolds silversmith: 'We make beautiful works of art to last for hundreds of years'Tucked away in an old Cotswolds silk mill, expert craftsmen harness a century of expertise to raise, planish and finish fine gold and silverware. Jeremy Flint visits Hart’s of Chipping Campden.
-
The master shoemakers who shod Churchill: 'Demand is through the roof, but it takes six to eight months to make a pair'The co-owners of bespoke shoe shop George Cleverley, father and son George Glasgow Snr and George Glasgow Jnr, talk to Hetty Lintell.
-
The dolls' house-maker: 'This is a place to capture the dreams of children and adults alike'Dragons of Walton Street have been making beautiful dolls' houses for four decades, and the company is still run by Lucinda Croft, the daughter of the founder. She spoke to Hetty Lintell.
-
Meet the Beadles: The centuries-old private police force at Burlington Arcade, the world's swishest shopping mallThis week marked the 200th birthday of London’s Burlington Arcade. Adam Hay-Nicholls goes undercover with the Beadles, its private police force. With photographs by Richard Cannon.
-
The bagpipe-maker: 'The older customers want me to make their pipes sharpish; they want to be sure they’re not dead before they get to play them!'Hours of intricate work are needed to craft a set of bagpipes. Kate Lovell spoke to bagpipe-maker Dave Shaw to find out how it's done.
