Gary Drostle (born 1961) is a British artist specialising in

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

as well as

mural painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...

and

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

. He was also President of the British Association for Modern Mosaic, a lecturer at The Chicago Mosaic School. and is on the editorial board o
Andamento
the Journal of Contemporary Mosaics.

Early years and education

Born in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the son of Docker and Trade Union activist Frederick Drostle. He studied art at the

St Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...

(1979) and

Hornsey College of Art Hornsey College of Art (a.k.a. Hornsey School of Art) was a college in Crouch End in the London Borough of Haringey, England. The HCA was "an iconic British art institution, renowned for its experimental and progressive approach to art and design ...

(1980–1983) (now

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

) where he undertook a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(Fine Art). His graduate work was selected for the

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

'Pick of the New Graduate Art' exhibition in 1984.

Public Art career

Haringey Hospitals Mural Project After leaving art college in 1984 he worked on a Government employment program creating murals for Haringey Hospitals. Haringey Mural Workshop In 1987 he founded 'Haringey Mural Workshop' with four other members of the Hospital Arts Program: Ruth Priestly; Hilary Leobner; Joanne White and Paul Beaumont. They designed and painted their first major public commission 'History of the Peoples Palace' mural series for

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

in London in 1987. Wallscpaes When the Haringey Mural Workshop disbanded in 1989 Gary set up the Arts Group 'Wallscapes' initially with

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

artist Ruth Priestly, together receiving their first public mosaic commission in 1990 from

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington has ...

. In 1990 Ruth returned to Belfast and Gary was joined by fellow St Martins colleague, artist Rob Turner. He worked with Rob Turner from 1990 to 2001 completing many major public art commissions across the UK including works for

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

in Surrey,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

city centre and

Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...

Library for

Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is a London borough in north-east London, England. Its population is estimated to be 276,983 in 2019. It borders five other London boroughs: Enfield to the north-west, Haringey to the west, Hackney to t ...

Council. Drostle Public Arts In 2001 the Wallscapes partnership was dissolved and Gary set up a new studio in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

to creating public art and mosaics. Since 2001 he has continued designing and making large scale public artworks, murals and mosaics across the UK and in the USA. He now works from a studio at The Lakeside Centre, a Bow Arts Trust and

Peabody Trust The Peabody Trust was founded in 1862 as the Peabody Donation Fund and now brands itself simply as Peabody.

partnership Arts Centre in

Thamesmead Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly consi ...

, south-east London In 2006 he received a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust award to further study mosaic making at the famous Orsoni Mosaic Works in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In 2015 he undertook the major restoration and replacement works of the

Eduardo Paolozzi Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (, ; 7 March 1924 – 22 April 2005) was a Scottish artist, known for his sculpture and graphic works. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art. Early years Eduardo Paolozzi was born on 7 March 1 ...

Mosaics on the Central Line platforms at Tottenham Court Road tube station.

Notable works

* (1987) The History of the Peoples Palace – Series of eleven Keim Murals painted in the West Corridor,

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...

, London, UK. * (1989) Love Over Gold Mural - Keim wall mural on the side of Outset UK disability training centre (now Cockpit Arts

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

). * (1994) Sutton Heritage Mosaic - Porcelain Mosaic in Sutton Town Square, commissioned by London Borough of Sutton, UK. * (1998)

Trade Trail Mosaics - A series of eleven floor mosaics for Northgate and Southgate in Gloucester, UK. * (2000) One Town That Changed The World - Gable end mural depicting the Industrial Heritage of

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

in Kent, UK. * (2006) The De Luci Fish Roundabout - 7.5-metre high glass mosaic clad sculpture of three entwined fish created for Bronze Age Way in

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...

, London, UK. * (2010) The River of Life Mosaic - Large ceramic floor mosaic created for the entrance lobby of the CRWC building

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

, IA. * (2015) A Walk Along The California Seashore - Series of ten mosaic panels set in bespoke terrazzo floor for the

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford (LPCH) is a nationally ranked women's and children's hospital which is part of the Stanford University Health system. The hospital is located adjacent to the campus at 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, Cal ...

, Stanford, Palo Alto, CA

Awards

*(2006) The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Award for craft excellence and development, Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust *(2007) The Rouse Kent Award for Public Art, Awards for Public art in Kent: The Erith De Luci Fish Sculpture *(2008) Mosaic Arts International, Miami 2008, Best Architectural Mosaic, Miami, FL. *(2011) TileLetter Awards – Commercial Mosaic Installation Award, The National Tile Contractors Association (of America) *(2013) Mosaic Arts International, Tacoma, Best in Show Award, The Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA, USA. *(2014) Mosaic Arts International, Houston, Contemporary Innovation Award, The Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX, USA *(2014) Prix Picassiette – Award Prize, Recontres Internationales de Mosaîque, Chartres, France *(2019) 5th Annual FCI Awards, Winner in the Commercial Tile and Stone installation category.

Publications

* 'A Celebration of British Craftsmanship' - by Karen Bennett, Impress Publishing 2018 *'Andamento', vol 13 2019 - Journal of Contemporary Mosaic published by the British Association for Modern Mosaic - - 'Away from the Gallery - Gary Drostle, large scale mosaics' by Helen Miles. * 'Groutline' Fall 2018, vol.19 No.4, Journal of the Society of American Mosaic Artists, 'Creating California in a London Studio' article by Shawn Newton. * 'Mosaïque Magazine', July 2016 vol 12 - 'The large-scale mosaics of Gary Drostle' by Renée Malaval. * 'Masters of Mosaic' by Oliver Budd, 2014 The Crowood Press Ltd . * 'Mosaic Art Today' by Jeffrey B. Snyder, Schiffer Press 2012,

References

External links

Gary Drostle - Drostle Public Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drostle, Gary 1961 births Living people 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Artists from London Mosaic artists People from Woolwich