Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Glen Farrelly. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Glen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

After twenty years of teaching in a top private school in London my wife had the opportunity to take us to LA with work. After lots of discussion we decided to take the risk and make the big move. A few months after moving in to our new home we were forced to evacuate due to a huge wildfire that was quickly sweeping towards us in Santa Clarita. Once calm was restored and the fire zones were declared safe, I returned to hiking the trails that I loved, I was astonished by the destruction , the life was gone, everywhere I looked was bleak black and grey. All that remained were the silhouettes of the skeleton shaped trees. These trees stood resilient, like watchman over the land. On closer inspection the tree remains were cradling new life, new shoots were appearing, new seeds were sprouting despite and because of the destruction around them. I had graduated art school and was fortunate to exhibit alongside Tracy Emin in a fantastic London Exhibition, however, like many other art students I decided to move into teaching art. For the following twenty years my passion helping others progress and learn all about art. Now it was my turn and the life changing experience of the wildfires inspired me once again to explore and return to my profession.

Glen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From Frem, Clerkenwell Exhibition. Glen Farrelly, a Sculptor with a unique perspective, seeing beauty in the broken and abandoned, creating regeneration in the most visually exciting works.

Glen Farrelly trained at the renowned Camberwell College of Arts in London, studying for a fine arts degree in ceramics. After moving to California, Glen was exposed to forest fires, walking the fire ravaged sites and collecting remnants of scorched and discarded wood, changing artistic direction and materials. Glen has always been an ambassador for environmental issues and hopes his artwork helps to raise further awareness of the effects of climate change. All of Glen’s work is 100% recycled and reclaimed. His work can be found in the Galleries of California, Japan, Saudi Arabia and London. Now living in North Wales, Glen continues to explore using reclaimed materials and welcomes all enquiries.

My aim is to raise peoples awareness of how they are connected to our natural world, and how we need hope to fight against climate change. Choosing to use wood as my medium probably stems back to my father who was a carpenter and in my eyes could make anything! There is so much beauty in wood, the smell, the touch, it’s something we can all connect with and brings us back to our purest natural world.
Every time I get people talking through my pieces is when I am most proud. The fact that my work gives a message of hope or new life despite the dire outlook make me proud that I am still an optimist!
It’s difficult for me to say what makes me stand out from others, Paul Hewson said it best, ‘Every Artist is a Cannibal, Every Poet is a thief, all kill for inspiration and sing about their grief!’ – I hope I stand out for doing what I do!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As an Artist the road never seems smooth! You constantly question yourself if you are doing the right thing, is my work good enough, do people like my work? You are your own worst critic! Once I sent my work to a Gallery for an open call and every piece was accepted, then they used it for their advertising I gained confidence and belief. However, that’s not always the case, you just need to find the right fit – both artist and Gallery. The pandemic hit sales of work bad, and let’s face it although most artists love what we do we also have to eat! Getting more online exposure has helped with these obstacles, and that is where I found is the best place to sell if you can’t meet in person. In the UK now the issue is the price of living crisis, people have to prioritise what is important to live. Do we need a sculpture or do we need to pay bills? I currently have my work displayed in various Galleries across the country, this has helped with my exposure and giving more opportunity for someone to find and hopefully buy my work. I have also branched out to work directly with Garden designers who often need sculpture as a focal point for their designs. It’s all about finding new avenues and getting out there!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can support creatives in the most simple way possible and that is to share their work and story. It could be a simple share on social media or an email to a friend, It costs nothing and the exposure the artist gets is so valuable in finding that next sale. We all need art, it’s in everything we do, see, wear, ride or play. We need to remember the value the artist brings as without it we would all have a very dull life. Coming from the education sector the value of art seems to be diminished by those who wish to see a regular wage and tax being paid, currently in the UK the current government have stated they will look at University Courses that do not add value to jobs and wages – what an incredibly scary world for creatives and the glorious world we can provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.glenfarrellyartist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farrellyglenartist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farrellyglenartist/
• Other: https://www.twenty-twenty.co.uk/gallery-artist/farrelly-glen/ https://cotswoldsculpturepark.co.uk/?s=glen+farrelly

Image Credits
All photos by author except portrait of artist by Lorentz Gullachsen