Leaves from Darwin Oak helping fund campaign to stop relief road that will see its demise

Ruth Gibson, an experienced Arts Council-funded ceramicist based in Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, has been making clay leaves inspired by the 550-year-old oak.

They are being sold to raise money for Better Shrewsbury Transport’s legal challenge to the relief road scheme.

The Darwin Oak, so named because Shrewsbury-born naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin is believed to have regularly walked past it as a child, is one of nine veteran trees set to be felled to allow the construction of the new road,

Ruth said: "I began by working on site in Shelton Rough, gathering the fallen oak leaves from the Darwin Oak, and pressing them into thin sheets of clay preserving their memory for years to come.

"I then realised they would make beautiful decorations, and by selling them we could raise important funds. Soon, the method of production needed to be speeded up to meet demand, so we now have a small group of volunteers helping to cut the leaves out of rolled out porcelain using pre-formed leaf cutters.

"I have been making artworks inspired by trees for many years, it’s been a life-long passion. I have made sculptures based on trees and collected fallen wood to make wood ash glazes. It means parts of the tree become embodied in the sculptures, as well as creating interesting surface patterns.

"The ceramic oak leaves to me represent many things. When cared for, a porcelain leaf can outlive us for many years, but it can also be carelessly broken in a moment. It’s a great symbol of both strength and vulnerability, and reminds us that we are just a small part of the whole inter-connected realm of life on Earth."

Ruth’s simple decorative pieces have proved a huge success, raising over £1,500 in just two weeks, which is being donated to Better Shrewsbury Transport’s crowdfunder for a judicial review into the NWRR. The crowdfunder is currently 55 per cent funded, with over £11,000 pledged before Ruth’s donations are included.

"Finding time to make the leaves has been quite a challenge between teaching classes, running workshops, managing my own online sales in a busy run-up to Christmas," Ruth added.

"But it was too good an opportunity to ignore, so we’ve been working flat out to fulfil orders."

The popularity of the decorations has inspired her to think about a much bigger community art project based on the Darwin Oak in 2024.

"I have an idea of a field of fallen ceramic oak leaves. I’d love to exhibit thousands of these clay leaves under the Darwin Oak itself, in churches, and galleries; a touring installation of leaves en-masse. The leaves could become a visual representation of all the people who don’t want to see these veteran trees cut down. Currently over 100,000 people have signed the petition to save the Darwin Oak.’

Previously, Ruth has been involved in community-based public art projects including bus shelters in Cross Houses, an Iron Age inspired sculpture in Pontesbury and ceramic installations along canals, both in Ellesmere and at Aston Lock on the Montgomery Canal.

She believes the Darwin Oak could inspire something similar, and is considering applying for Arts Council funding, as well as looking into sponsorship from tile makers and clay manufacturers.

Ruth’s Darwin Oak leaves can be ordered online via forms.gle/bHYXhJBK12JYD4bY9

More information about the artist is on ruthgibsonceramics.co.uk