At the bottom of the second steepest hill in Sussex, a short walk from the sea, is a garden of wondrous sculptures. An overgrown meadow of giant daisies, ideas and colour. Strange creatures made of mismatched parts come alive with character and greet you. Bolts, screws, wheels and propellers are the faces and bodies of these beings that guard the home of artist and creator Tim Riddihough.
Stepping into Tim’s world of boundless creation is like stepping into a dream I once had, bursting at the seams with the unconscious. Or stumbling into the pages of an old children’s book, filled with magical faces you feel you know. I walk up the garden path, past two rainbow painted sheds and a 12 foot Yellow Bird to the front door. A green bird man rides a red bicycle along the front wall of the house, with faces and bird people looking on. A colourful spaceship with a rickety wooden staircase made from bric-a-brac sits around back awaiting take off. A group of Small green blue and gold ceramic women lay sunbathing on the garage roof.
Tim’s home is a fortress of art, the walls the ceilings, nothing has been left bare, everything a potential surface for art to inhabit. The world he has created is a testament to imagination, full of sculpted mythical beings. His live in home studio is very much alive. A red airplane hangs above me in the living room, the walls are covered in drawings, taps, paintings, clocks, animal bones, old newspaper clippings, - words jump out at me - “Pet shop man waits to pounce.” “Immortality beckons.” “Better Hair days.
Tim Riddihough is a creator of worlds. His home exists as a treasure chest of inspiration that exceeds the traditional bounds of the artist studio and becomes a realm of its own. After 30 years of commercial flying, Tim found art to be a revelation. He tells me his creations are “nothing deliberate really” and stresses the importance of experimentation in his practice.
Tim sits in an armchair in the living room amongst his silent mythical beings looking this way and that, standing on tables and hanging on walls. He is silhouetted against the light casting in through the window. His hair is grey, he is wearing a red t-shirt, sandals, and ripped blue denim shorts. We let a buzzing fly out of the window. Tim starts to tell me about his lifelong career in aviation, his obsession with birds and flight, and his approach to creating art.
