Garden Statues by Adam Williams
Adam Williams is returning to his first true creative love – stonework. Each piece in the Garden Statues collection speaks of this passion, imbued with a timeless quality by Adam’s deep appreciation of classical art, European history and the creative traditions of the British Isles.
Even when they are freshly cast and first placed in situ, these statues feel like they belong – as though time has brought them to you. They look majestic, noble, even bold, yet at the same time bring stillness and serenity to the setting.
Adam’s skilful antiquing avoids them looking stark, at first, and will be followed by the natural aging of the stone as its porous surface develops a unique patina. Every statue in the collection paints a unique picture each time it is viewed – bathed in the soft light of a setting sun, covered in a crystalline layer of frost, wetted by a shower of rain or silhouetted in the moonlight.
With each made-to-order piece, Adam is thrilled by the idea of creating something that seems so constant – it’s made of stone, after all – yet constantly changes in its beauty. This is what sparks the passion.
Four decades of experience
Adam’s artistic career began when, at the age of 17, he worked on the West Front of Wells Cathedral in Somerset, restoring its beautiful medieval masonry. It was there that he learned to sculpt, make moulds and cast stonework using precision skills passed down through generations of artists and stonemasons.
He developed these capabilities further in his next role – the restoration of table tomb effigies in chapels, churches and cathedrals across Britain. Some of the crypts he worked on were enormous, and he became fascinated by the techniques used to move ancient artworks weighing several tonnes using traditional methods, without heavy machinery.
This gave Adam a taste for working at scale and, at 2.5 tonnes, his Coade Stone Lion is a centrepiece in the collection. Few, if any, British studios are producing work at this scale today.
Adam began a business creating garden statues which became incredibly successful but put it aside to take up the new challenge of designing metal furniture. Over the years, the yearning to work rough stone grew and grew, and finally he has returned to his original craft.
A rich tapestry of influences
Abstract paintings, flamboyant folk art sculptures, fu dogs and collecting bonsai trees – Adam’s creativity is fed by a broad variety of influences. He’s fascinated by eccentrics like Sir William Beckford, whose Fonthill Abbey is perhaps the biggest folly in British architectural history. Stories told by Victorian explorers and the illustrations they made on their travels draw similar delight.
However, the influences most evident in the Garden Statues collection are all rooted in classical art and our heritage. The statues of Ancient Greece and Rome, mythology and legend, heraldry and medieval lore, the Renaissance and Neoclassical art movements – all these notions give Adam’s stonework its traditional character. Alongside this, there is often a connection with the natural world. Together, these qualities lead to works that are calming to the eye and comforting to the soul.