James Doran-Webb
James Doran-Webb is the well-travelled son of the owner of Upton Castle. He currently lives and works in Cebu in the Philippines where his lifelong obsession for working with wood and a fascination with the animal form led to the creation of his driftwood sculptures, transforming long dead wood, gathered from the rivers and shoreline, into works with movement and vitality. Animating the inanimate, a concept at the heart of his work.
The process of creating his sculptures starts with an in-depth study of both the animal’s movement patterns and anatomy before he moves on to creating the armature of recycled stainless steel and finally finding the perfect pieces of reclaimed drift wood that bring the pieces to life, a process that requires attention to detail and many hours of dedication. He often chooses subjects that reflect the preoccupations of his childhood using thoroughbred horses, puffins and owls as his inspiration.
A regular exhibitor at RHS Chelsea flower show his installations garner as much attention as the surrounding show gardens. James’ work can be found in private collections across the globe and in some of the world’s best known Botanical Gardens. His largest installation to date is A Family of Giraffes on the roof of the Botanic garden at Beijing Expo 2019. The Gardens in the Bay, Singapore have amassed a collection of over 48 pieces of his work.