Drimoleague's Nigel spreads his wings with cutlery art

BY JACKIE KEOGH

THE work of a Drimoleague-based artist has been selected for an exhibition at Ballymaloe. 

The work of artist Nigel Connell-Bass, a Englishman who made West Cork his home in 1996, had earlier come to the attention of Richie Scott, who is the curator of the Ballymaloe Sculpture Exhibition, which will open on June 21st.

‘This will be my first time exhibiting my work anywhere,’ Nigel told The Southern Star, ‘and I feel fortunate to be taking part in both because they present a great opportunity for me to show my work.’

Nigel’s pieces are impressive steel sculptures, especially when you consider that they are made from mostly recycled materials. 

His eagle – which has a wingspan of 7ft – is made of over 350 pieces of cutlery and is remarkable for the sheer sense of movement contained within the work.

Previously, Nigel worked for ten years as a scenic artist in a busy national theatre company production workshop in the UK. 

The funny thing is that he only discovered his love of metal sculpture after borrowing a welding machine from a friend to build a railing for his West Cork home. ‘I used the leftover materials for my first garden sculpture – a heron – and that was that,’ he said. ‘I was inspired.’