Barwell Gallery

Lendon Scantlebury, sculptor, painter, curator
23 October 1960 - 11 January 2017

Lendon and Dawn worked together & were life partners for many years;  together they started 'Barwell Gallery'. Tragically he left us suddenly in January 2017.

He was an inspiration, and a beautiful soul who was incredibly creative as both a sculptor and Painter as well as being an experienced Foundry man. 

Born in Barbados, Lendon was a dynamic and colourful character with a deep enthusiasm for art. He moved to the UK in 1971 bringing with him the memories of his early life in Barbados - the sights, sounds and smells of which recalled deep meanings for him and formed the basis for his art.

I am Dawn Benson, an artist constantly exploring different media and a variety of ways to encapsulate what is around me. 

I am inspired by my love of nature, and the sea in particular, and aim to capture what I feel about what I see. My work is very much about touching the spirit of the place and the moment. A calm day will produce a completely different feel to the painting than a wild and windy day.

Mostly known over the years for my Horse/Child Sculptures, I am now slowly easing out of doing these and focussing more on painting and enjoying a little bit of me time. There are still some sculptures available in galleries and on my website, but I am slowing this part of my creative life down.

I will be exhibiting in Henley from 26-31 October at The Old Fire Station Gallery... www.ashleyhanson.co.uk/news

He described his sculptures as "mainly contemporary, looking at the human psychological and spiritual journey in life, using materials such as wood, leather and cloth to eventually be made into bronze, giving a representation of the subject rather than detail. Sculpture means shape form and simplicity".

Lendon worked for over 30 years in the bronze foundry and sculpture casting business, having owned and run his own art foundry for some years. This gave him the knowledge and understanding of working in bronze as well as the wide range of patinas - restoring as well as creating new work. He was a passionate professional artist who exhibited widely and curated successful exhibitions to showcase not only his own art but also that of his fellow artists carefully chosen to complement the venues - Ardington, Turn End, Bothy Vineyard and many more. 

Lendon also encouraged young aspiring artists to explore new media and methods and had planned to endow a foundation to enable more young people to discover the art within them. This dream was achieved by his assistant Meriel Lewis and Dawn Benson after his death.

Photograph by Paul Wilkinson Photography Ltd. www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk