The Wainwright Sculptures

Article by Chris Butterfield

I have spent the last few years connecting with people who knew Wainwright well. One such associate was sculptor Clive Barnard. He has produced sculptures for clients worldwide; many are well-known, such as Jimi Hendrix and Brian Blessed. In 1986, the Westmorland Gazette commissioned Clive to create a bronze bust for a permanent gallery based on the Lakeland legend at Brantwood in Coniston, due to open in 1987.

Wainwright explicitly chose Clive for the project. Andrew Nichol, the book publishing manager at the Gazette, drove Wainwright to a meeting with Clive. Before the meeting, Andrew gave Clive advice on what to say to be accepted by Wainwright. “Tell him you’re a walker and you’ve read all his books, then you’ll be fine,” he said.

There were four sittings at Clive’s studio in Haverthwaite, and he remembers the time fondly. There was great banter between them, and Clive gave as good as he got. “It’s noon, and I normally have another cup of tea by now, “said Wainwright. “Well, go make it then,” Clive retorted. Wainwright was a little shocked. “But I’m your client.” “Well, I’m the one who’s working; you’re sat there doing nothing.” “I don’t know how to take that,” replied Wainwright as he made his way to the kettle. Clive smiled.

Wainwright gave Clive his old pair of glasses and pipe to use as references for the sculpture. After several weeks, the bust was complete, and Wainwright was delighted with the finished piece, which now resides in Kendal Museum. He visited Clive many times following the work and made tea every time. They got on exceptionally well after they broke the ice, and every session was full of chat with plenty of humour.

In addition to the bust, Clive produced several small, detailed sculptures, which were Wainwright’s idea. He gave Clive sole permission to make them. Cumbria magazine regularly advertised these detailed sculptures during the late 1980s. They were expensive but popular with collectors. Tracking them down proved difficult, and it took me years to find one.

I met Clive in Lancashire a few months ago, and it was great to listen to him reminisce about his time with Wainwright. “It’s difficult for anyone to sit for a sculpture, and it must have been a new experience for him, “said Clive. I mentioned the tea incident and asked if it was true. “Yes, it was. It backfired on me because the tea Wainwright made was awful, and I told him so,” chuckled Clive. He said that during the sessions, Wainwright’s son Peter would call in occasionally to chat with his dad. “It was good to see the bond between father and son.”

Clive showed me samples of his impressive work spanning decades, and I was fortunate to see Wainwright’s original pipe and glasses used during the Pictorial Guide years. Wainwright also gave Clive many photos to help with the small sculptures. One photo was taken in his study, showing him smiling toward the camera. Clive remembers Wainwright’s exact words when he handed them to him: “No one believes me, but this photo proves I do smile.”

Clive was pleased with the growing Alfred Wainwright Books & Memorabilia community. Although he had retired many years ago, I asked him if a new sculpture was possible. Clive was delighted with my proposal, which gave him an excellent reason to come out of retirement. We decided upon two sculptures, one of which was completely new. These would be the first created for over thirty years, and I gave Clive my own Wainwright sculpture to assist. I felt this project was essential and would help keep Wainwright’s legacy in the public eye. Producing them is a long process, so it would be late 2022 before they were ready.

Clive held a grand draw at his Haverthwaite studio gallery in 1988. The tickets were £1 each, and all the proceeds went to Animal Rescue Cumbria. Many Wainwright-related items could be won, including a solid bronze statue. The plaster cast of the original bust was also on display. Sheila Richardson, a friend of Wainwright, purchased one of the sculptures and took the following five photographs. Clive’s partner at the time, Lindsay Murray, appears in a couple.

On a visit to Kendal, I told Andrew Nichol that Clive was producing new sculptures, and he was delighted. This gave me the idea of reuniting these two gentlemen who hadn’t seen each other since the late 1980s. I arranged a surprise 90th birthday treat for Andrew at Clive’s house in Lancashire during the summer of 2022. Priscilla and I drove him there without telling him where he was going. Within the hour, we’d arrived, and Andrew was ecstatic at seeing Clive after all these years.

Clive’s wife Helen was a wonderful host and kindly laid on some delicious food, and Andrew and Clive exchanged many exciting and funny Wainwright stories from the past. Clive recalls an incident at his gallery in 1987. “I’ll always remember walking through the gallery, and you told me, I hope you are charging Wainwright enough. He’s got money coming out of his ears.” Andrew laughed and said, “Did he hear me?” “No,” replied Clive, “But you bent down and picked a fiver off the floor, then tapped him on the shoulder, and said, A.W., you have dropped this, and then Wainwright turned around and asked where it came from, and you said your ears.”

After lunch, Andrew was shown the first sculpture made in plasticine and was blown away by the level of detail. He was also reunited with the clay sculpture of the life-size Wainwright bronze bust, which he hadn’t seen since he visited Clive’s studio in 1986. Seeing these two fine gentlemen chatting after nearly four decades apart was a privilege. It was a fantastic day, and I am sure that Wainwright would have been pleased his old friends were together again after all these years.

The images below are of the first Wainwright pattern that Clive has produced since the 1980s. The second sculpture was based on Clive’s very first bronze resin sculptures. Silicone moulds were then used to create the cast. On this occasion, a 3D scan was sent to a foundry instead of a silicone mould.

The lost wax method of casting, which dates back to at least the 3rd millennium B.C., if not earlier, is a time-honoured technique for producing hollow bronze sculptures with thin walls, significantly enhancing the quality of the final casts. This method was invented to achieve the highest level of detail in sculpture and remains the most accurate and reliable process for creating complex metal shapes that faithfully replicate the intricacies of the original pattern. One of the main advantages of lost wax casting is its ability to produce multiple identical copies of the same object.

The process begins with creating a silicone rubber mould from the original artwork, capturing every fine detail. This master mould is used to produce wax replicas of the original sculpture. These wax copies are then fitted with pouring cups and rods, which serve as channels for molten metal and allow air to escape during the casting process. The wax replicas are coated with a ceramic shell and then fired, during which the wax melts away (hence the term “lost wax”). Molten bronze, heated to 1200°C, is poured into the cavity left by the melted wax. Once the bronze has cooled, the ceramic shell is broken away, and the rods and pouring cups are removed.

Next, a fixing plate for a base is welded to the underside of the sculpture, and any surface imperfections, known as scars, are meticulously blended to match the original design as intended by the artist. This work, known as chasing, requires a high degree of skill. The bronze is then hand-polished in preparation for a patina—a protective coating that can also add colour and texture. The patination process involves reheating the bronze and applying chemicals, which can produce a variety of colours and effects depending on the mixture used. After patination, a wax coating is applied and polished to a deep lustre.

All these processes demand exceptional skill, often requiring years of experience to master. The finished sculpture is carefully numbered, indicating its place in the casting sequence, such as 1/50, where the first number represents the specific piece and the second the total edition. The foundry mark is also stamped onto the piece. After the edition is complete, the moulds are destroyed to preserve the exclusivity of the artwork.

The sculptures were finally completed in late December 2022. Priscilla and I took Andrew to see Clive and Helen for the unveiling and a party to celebrate. The two sculptures are masterpieces and a credit to Clive’s skill. It has been years since Clive produced a Wainwright sculpture, so working with him on two new ones was an honour.

The images below are of Clive’s brand-new sculpture. The pose was based on one of Wainwright’s self-portraits from the Pictorial Guides. This is the finest solid bronze Wainwright Clive has ever produced. This brand-new solid bronze Wainwright sculpture will be made to order as a limited edition of 50 and will come with a certificate of authenticity. It will be fixed to an attractive solid oak base with a nameplate to the side. The size, including the base, is 11.5″ x 6.5″ x 11″. These will be the final solid bronze sculptures ever produced by Clive. They will never lose value and should be considered an investment.

In addition, the new Wainwright sculpture was also produced in bronze resin. The sculpture will be made to order as a limited edition of 100 and comes complete with a certificate of authenticity. It will be fixed to an attractive solid oak base with a nameplate on the top (the square base has recently been upgraded to an oval base). The size, including the base, is 11.5” x 6” x 10”. These will be the final bronze resin sculptures ever produced by Clive.

The second sculpture is based on the first-ever Wainwright sculpture, originally made of bronze resin. This was Wainwright’s favourite sculpture, so Clive produced it in solid bronze for the first time. Again, this will be a limited edition of up to 50 sculptures. The size, including the base, is 12″ x 8″ x 10″. The following four images highlight the new sculpture alongside the original bronze resin sculpture produced in the mid-1980s. All three sculptures are available in the website shop.

To the right is the original bronze resin sculpture, on which the solid bronze sculpture was based.

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The Title photo is courtesy of Kendal Museum.
The Wainwright at Brantwood photo is courtesy of the Westmorland Gazette.

Clive’s sculptures are available in the Memorabilia section of the shop.