Patrick Drinkwater (1937-2024) – Here we have a beautiful, organic form of golden tree sculpture, with the trunk of female form with the branches erupting from her arms. It is set to a free form granite base with the raw edges and polished top. It measures 32cm in height and weighs just over 2kg. 
 
The piece is formed of nickel wire, which is plated in 24ct gold, giving it a rich gold tone. 
He developed a unique laminating system which he used to create the delicate yet strong sculptures. 
His style choice of materials and styling perfectly complement each other. Firm yet delicate, flowing, yet detailed.
 
It is a dramatic piece with the branches erupting from the arms of the female form. 
 
Patrick Drinkwater was a Trowbridge based artist who was inspired by the Wessex woodlands. His pieces represented a life’s work, with his first piece being created in 1971.
 
Patrick spoke to the Wiltshire times prior to his November 2016 exhibition. At the time he was aged 79 and had been preparing his work for exhibition for the past 20 years, with a total of 42 pieces on offer. Each piece took him between weeks and months to complete with prices for the sculptures ranging between £500 and £20,000. A percentage of his sales went towards Trees for Cities.
 
The exhibition was named Silvana. It was held at the Herrick Gallery in Piccadilly between the 9th – 19th of November 2016. It was the only time these pieces were made publicly available for 20 years, until after his death in 2024.
 
On his pre-exhibition nerves he stated, “It doesn’t matter how talented you are, you never know how people will react to what you’ve spend years of your life creating.”
 
Patrick began collecting and carving stone he gathered from historic buildings, which were destroyed after World War 2 in the 1950s. Always interested in structure and design form, Mr Drinkwater began creating his metal trees with the inspiration coming from the nature surrounding his home. 
 
The bases of the sculptures made use of the materials he gathered from those destroyed historic buildings. He carefully selected the materials to add to the overall design and give them a firm base.
 
Of his inspiration he said, “All you have to do is take one look at nature and you will find that the smallest thing can have the biggest impact, but looking is the bit people can sometimes forget to do.”
 
Dimensions:
32cm total height
24cm width at widest point (tree top)
Base 16cm wide x 15.5cm deep
Total weight 2.045kg