JONNY AMBROSE ARTIST BIO
SLEEPING WITH ART 2021, Text updated Sept 12th 2021
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ABOUT JONNY AMBROSE
Since 1994, Jonny Ambrose has created elegant, contemporary automobile sculptures. His works are inspired by aerodynamic forms, imagined airflow and intriguing technical details.
Renowned magazine, Classic & Sportscar, said “His works celebrate automotive artistry with graceful abstraction”.
Ambrose’s sculptures grab attention for their sleek beauty, yet the viewer is drawn closer to the point of studying the work, rewarded by the visual depth of the forms, voids and views through each work: “I love to find new ways to create fascination for the viewer. Moving around and looking through a 3d sculpture offers an ever changing composition of shapes, reflections and shadows to decipher.”
“Deciphering a car form, understanding those key lines and proportions from the car designer’s mind, then interpreting that into a new artform that commands interest, is what motivates my art process,” Ambrose explains.
His works combine traditional steam-bent wood craftsmanship with digital design processes. Wood plays an important part within a rich palette of complementary materials; polished metals, carbon fibre, and bespokely designed 3d printed elements.
Ambrose enjoys evolving his visual 3d language with each new work. “I prefer to push myself, exploring new aesthetics, themes and materials, not repeat over and over.” His new ‘Skeletal Series’ works, with their inner chassis framework ‘maze’, provide a constant puzzle of parallaxing lines for the viewer.
Recent works have also featured elongated ‘low polygon’ forms, a nod to his video-game creation past: “Describing a curvaceous car form with as few angular lines as possible is a rewarding technical and visual challenge”. This series ranges from small pocket sized works to his newest, largest ever, and first outdoor sculpture, the ‘Angular Half 917’, a half scale lattice of metal and carbon fibre, debuting at Sleeping with Art.
Born 1972, he graduated BA Fine Art Sculpture, 1994, runner-up in the 1995 BRDC Young Artist Prize, and also exhibited in Frankfurt, London, Glasgow, Goodwood and Silverstone. Following a Masters MA,1998, he co-founded a successful computer games development studio in 2002, creating acclaimed games such as Guitar Hero and DJ Hero.
A full time professional artist again from 2016, Ambrose has created Octane trophies for The Quail Concours, USA 2017-2020, exhibited solo at the Historic Motoring Awards 2018-2020, and invited each year to exhibit at the prestigious Royal Automobile Club since 2017.
He creates works for international collector clients worldwide, from the Americas to Africa, Japan and Australia. His studio, gallery and wood workshop are nestled in the Warwickshire countryside, in central UK.
Ambrose works with leading automotive brands and also often donates sale proceeds to charity. Next year he will create a large F1 sculpture for Sir Jackie Stewart’s charity, to be auctioned in aid of Race Against Dementia.
‘ANGULAR HALF 917’
250 x 90 x 42cm
Half scale sculpture in carbon fibre, aluminium, artist designed 3d printed components, 2021.
£37,900
Material and plinth options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
Ambrose’s newest 'Skeletal Series' sculpture and largest ever work is an engaging, fascinating maze of organic, parallaxing lines depicting a polygonal styled chassis and body, inspired by the Le Mans winning Porsche 917k, 1971.
‘WHALETAIL’ by JONNY AMBROSE
48 x 18 x 9cm
Sculpture in anodised aluminium, flame polished acrylic, carbon fibre, 3d printed components, 2021.
£3,890
material options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
My newest 'Streamlined Series' work accentuates the iconic flowing 'Moby Dick' tail of this Le Mans racer, the light bouncing off the subtle curve differences of each longitudinal plane.
‘BATMOBILE (FULL LIVERY) by JONNY AMBROSE x JOEL CLARK
40 x 16 x 7cm.
Sculpture collaboration with Joel Clark, in nickel plated aluminium, flame polished acrylic, carbon fibre, 3d printed components, 2021.
£2,690
material options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
A colourful collaborative work with Joel Clark's livery interpretations on my 'Streamlined Series' depiction of the be-winged and flared 1970's touring car.
‘SKELETALE 917’ by JONNY AMBROSE
40 x 16 x 5cm
Sculpture in polished 3d printed MJF nylon on oak plinth, 2021
£1,990
Plinth base material options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
My new 'Skeletal Series' work is a fascinating maze of orgainc, paralaxing lines depicting a polygonal styled chassis and body, inspired by the Le Mans winning Porsche 917k, 1970.
‘LAND SPEED RECORD’ by JONNY AMBROSE
64 x 16 x 9cm
Sculpture in walnut, nickel plated aluminium, flame polished acrylic, 3d printed components, 2021.
£2,450
Last edition available of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
This 'Streamlined Series' work captures the sleek beauty, speed and power of the 1935 Record Breaking Bluebird V, where the wood grain accentuates the imagined speeding airflow.
‘SKELETALE SPEEDTAIL’ by JONNY AMBROSE
64 x 12 x 6cm
Sculpture in steambent walnut, oak plinth, polished 3d printed MJF nylon on oak plinth, 2021.
£1,390 GBP
Plinth base material options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
A new 'Skeletal Series' work with a playful and elegant flowing 'speedtail' of interweaving curved walnut sections, mimicking imagined airflow.
‘BATMOBILE’ by JONNY AMBROSE
38 x 16 x 7cm
Sculpture in nickel plated aluminium, flame polished acrylic, carbon fibre, 3d printed components, 2021
£2,590 GBP
Material options available.
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
My 'Streamlined Series' depiction of the be-winged and flared 1970's touring car, capturing the key elements and different both sides, to create two looks.
‘904 SPEEDTAIL’ by JONNY AMBROSE x STEVEN JAMES
100 x 18 x 8cm
Sculpture collaboration with Steven James's gold leafed concrete form with steambent ash on walnut plinth base, 2020
£2,790 GBP
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
Steambent wooden tail elements twist and interweave, portraying an imagined aerodynamic airflow created behind a Porsche 904 inspired form.
‘RSR SPEEDTAIL’ by JONNY AMBROSE x STEVEN JAMES
80 x 18 x 14cm
Sculpture collaboration with Steven James's gold leafed concrete form with steambent ash on oak plinth base, 2020.
£2,390 GBP
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
Hand formed wooden tail elements twist and interweave, portraying an imagined aerodynamic airflow created behind a Targa Florio Porsche RSR inspired form.
‘AERODYNAMIC AIRFLOW’ by JONNY AMBROSE
100 x 27 x 6cm
Sculpture in steambent stained oak, 3d printed components on oak and corian plinth, 2019.
£1,490 GBP
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
My minimalist steambent depiction of a speeding 1970's racecar body, with it's airflow twisting and turning behind the machine.
‘LUNGO TOURING’ by JONNY AMBROSE
48 x 16 x 8cm
Sculpture in steambent walnut with poished acrylic on plinth, 2019.
£1,980 GBP
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
Capturing the beauty of 1930's purest automotive forms, inspired by the 1939 Alfa Romeo 8c 2900 with Lungo Touring Berlinetta coachwork and slatted rear wheel covers.
‘REKORDWAGEN’ by JONNY AMBROSE
48 x 16 x 6cm
Sculpture in polished nickel plated aluminium and oak, on polished acrylci plinth, 2019.
£1,950 GBP
Edition of 9.
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
This 'Streamlined Series' work captures the sleek elegance and brutal functionality of the 1938 Record breaking Mercedes machine, the 'Rekordwagen'
‘GHOST’ by JONNY AMBROSE
48 x 16 x 10cm
Sculpture in steambent beech hardwood, polished nickel plated aluminium on carbon fibre plinth, 2019.
£2,290 GBP
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
An elegant form inspired by the sleek flanks and curving arc's of a classic Rolls Royce Ghost design.
‘MORGAN ELEMENTS’ by JONNY AMBROSE
21 x14 x 4cm
Sculpture in steambent walnut, carbon fibre on corian plinth, 2019.
£850 GBP
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
A minimalist abstraction of a Morgan 3 wheeler stripped back to it's pure forms and elements.
‘TYPE 35C’ by JONNY AMBROSE
Framed 52 x 52 x 9cm
Framed relief sculpture in steambent walnut and thermoformed corian, 2019.
£970 GBP
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
An abstract relief study in white corian and arcing walnut describing the key lines and famous grill shape of the 1930's Bugatti GP car.
‘FUCHS DART’ by JONNY AMBROSE
Framed 55 x 30 x 5cm
Framed relief sculpture in hand formed aluminium, obeche hardwood on corian, 2019.
£970
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
The iconic Fuch wheel design, synonymous with Porsche, depicted in an imagined power-slide with black shards as streaks of speed.
‘W154’ by JONNY AMBROSE
Framed 50 x 50 x 4cm
Framed relief sculpture in thermoformed corian, 2019.
£870 GBP
1 of 1
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
An abstract relief study in all white, forcing shadow play to reveal the key frontage lines of this curvaceous 1930's Mercedes GP car.
‘SPEEDFORM 01’ by JONNY AMBROSE
52 x 34 x 6cm
Relief sculpture in steambent oak and beech, carbon fibre on oak plinth, 2018.
£690 GBP
Contact jonny@jonnyambrose.com +447979225169
An abstract play with minimalist bends and twists as streaks of speed.
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