Many readers will already know Isle of Wight artist Guido Oakley for his work as a wood carver and sculptor.
This year, due to a hernia which has stopped him carving, he’s been working more with crystals and the results have been inspirational, not only creatively, but also for several children’s charities.
Guido has worked with crystals for a long time, but this year has had the opportunity to really experiment with them. He told us the hernia was “a blessing in disguise”.
Saatchi Gallery auction
Next week (on 1st October) a piece of Guido’s work is being auctioned at the Saatchi Gallery in aid of the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts.
The bust (pictured) was cast with a whopping 40 kilos of Indian chevron deep purple amethyst and sits on a redwood base from a tree that was planted at Farringford by Alfred Lord Tennyson and General Giuseppe Garibaldi in April 1864.
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That sounds pretty darn special and it looks exquisite (great photography by Chad Powell). If you happen to find some spare cash stuffed down the back of the sofa, the estimated auction price for this spectacular piece of work is around £22,000 with starting bids from £8,800.
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Three heads better than one
This is not the first time that Guido’s work has been auctioned in aid of children’s charities. Earlier this month another piece of his work, these three heads (below) raised an amazing £17,000 for children’s charity, Clic Sargent, bought by Dermot Desmond.
His work was the highest auctioned piece of the afternoon, contributing to a outstanding figure of £170,000 for the charity.
Guido says,
“The heads are female, as this represents the nurture and support of a woman’s nature, the heads also portray an innate inner beauty in their hairless form.
“The rose quartz hearts radiate love in every way, the ice calcite balls being the heal all, giving courage and the fluorite octahedron being a crystal for the mind with the determination to facilitate transformation and well-being.”
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He tells us that each head also has a Herkimer diamond at their centre, “which exponentially amplifies the effects of all the other crystals”.
The Amber Charity
At the beginning of the year Guido was commissioned to design some eye catching table centres for an event being organised by Eddie Jordan’s charity Amber Rocks.
The table centres were intricate resin Stratocaster guitars with a glowing 7inch record base. According to the organiser, they were a huge hit on the night and every single one was purchased by guests for a charity donation at the end of the evening.
But it didn’t stop there. A whopping £22,000 was raised through the sale of this quartz torso below. Apparently it was bought someone who owns a large amount of property in Westminster, to go into their offices.
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Guido used Peter Woods Design and 3D printer specialists e-3d in Cowes to create the model and Andy Styles to mould and cast the guitars. Fuhrmann Signs in Ventnor were used for the graphics elements.
A gift to share with others
It’s great that Guido has been able to contribute something not only beautiful, but also really positive to the lives of others.
He told OnTheWight,
“It’s so lovely to be given a gift that you can share with others and raise money for children that need help.”
Find out more about Guido Oakley and his work by visiting his Website.
Images: © Chad Powell – Isle of Wight Milky Way Photographer
