The making of The Hare Raiser

Over the winter months of 2017 and into early 2018, Katie Hough transformed a smooth, plain white fibre glass model into a magical masterpiece full of character now on display at Gloucester Cathedral. Here's how she did it...

I've lived in a beautiful Cotswold village under Bredon Hill for nearly 10 years, and feel totally at home. The natural beauty and stunning landscapes are complimented by beautiful architecture, and the abundance of wildlife inspires me artistically everyday. I feel strongly that this unique beauty needs to be maintained and preserved, protected so that its rich ecological presence in both fauna and flora can continue to flourish, so that many more people can enjoy this picturesque place for years to come.

It all came as quite a surprise, I was contacted just before Christmas 2017 by the organisers of the Cotswold AONB Hare Trail 2018 to say they would like me to take part and decorate one of the giant hares for the 2018 event. The trail is designed to celebrate the native brown hare and raise funds for selected charities to help safeguard the natural beauty of the area.

My artwork features the Hare extensively so it was the perfect match... I am known locally as the 'Hare Lady'!

Some days later a lorry arrived to drop off the giant sculpture mould!

It became apparent that young naked Hare Raiser would have to take up residence in the old stable buildings - he was just too heavy to contemplate trying to move into my studio, which is up four flights of stairs! And afterall, working outside surrounded by the very environment I was working to help preserve seemed fitting.

It also became apparent that Hare Raiser was in need of some suitable attire. I came up with the design of 'The Hare Raiser' - a character was already alive within a few of my most popular works. I felt he would tip his hat with a nod of whimsical irony towards the rich tapestry of Cotswold landscape, encompassing all walks of life and the traditions embroiled in our Cotswold history, and stay true to my artwork style.

It was important to me to create something that celebrated the history of the Cotswolds, especially the equine world in which I am heavily immersed within both creatively and personally. So much local industry within the Cotswolds revolves around horses. Equine pursuits have helped shape the Cotswolds landscape, many of it's inhabitants career paths, and traditions. I also needed to create a character that would be attractive and full of personality. I wanted the piece to be fun, to celebrate a bit of cheeky irony within the design as well so as to add further interest to the artwork. The design whilst being humorous is also very traditional which is fitting for the area.

Within this piece I wanted to capture as much texture as I could, so that it actually reflected my artwork style and all that I am attracted to capturing within my pieces of art. I love the gnarly yet elegant textures of hares and felt that by sculpting over the top of the fibreglass mould I was provided with, I would be able to formulate a base that I could really relate to that allows me to emphasise texture and charm within the artwork. I am pleased that I have managed to stay true to my artwork style when creating this sculpture; in not only emphasising the physical quality of the surface of the piece but by also staying true to my colour palette, I adore natural tones and was happy to be able to use the recommended paints in such a way as to mimic the pastel tones I normally create my artworks with.

I worked outside surrounded by bird song... and snow! He really should have been called snow hare as the majority of the work carried out on the 'The Hare Raiser' was created during the heavy snow we had in the Cotswolds at the beginning of this year. Speedy progress was hindered slightly by the cold, as I worked on the sculpture until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore, go back inside to thaw and then set off outside back to work on the project. I was accompanied by my little Robin Friend who sat and watched me mould, sculpt, and paint and shared the warmth of my little electric heater; which proved also very popular with the neighbours cats and the friendly black birds, it was often quite a sight seeing cats and wild song birds huddled round the little warm glow together.

I painted and varnished the piece with many layers in the hopes to protect it from the elements and any damage from transportation, and being on display throughout the year.

It was wonderful to see the reaction of visitors to the launch event - most commented they felt they wanted to reach out and stroke the sculpture due to the texture!

I am thrilled that 'The Hare Raiser' caused such a large amount of excitement from businesses bidding to sponsor my artwork, in the end SoGlos kindly has become my hare sculptures sponsor. I'm also so happy to find out my Hare was placed in the grounds of Gloucester Cathedral - it's such a beautiful place to visit and I think The Hare Raiser will really enjoy his new home!