On a sunny Sunday, I was at home when my mobile rang. Heather! ‘Hello darling girl’, she said ‘Would you like to come donkey shopping?’ Who could resist an invitation like that?

Heather moved people to tears with the connection and emotional reaction they had to her work. She recounted an adventure collecting a life size horse exhibited in London Zoo and how an impromptu escort of dispatch riders assembled as she towed a life-sized mare was across London to the amazement of the people on the streets.

“…the answer is staring you in the face – if only you can see it…”

An inspiring story about how Heather started sculpting in driftwood.

My mother, Heather Jansch, who has died aged 72 following a stroke, was a renowned sculptor who specialised in images of the horse in driftwood and bronze.

“The answer came in on the tide. Driftwood. It was like a thunderbolt. I had never seen it used in sculpture, but combining it with copper wire gave the sculpture a power and authentic quality that made it something extraordinary. I knew I was finally ready to show my work to the world.”

As I drove home I felt almost high, deeply grateful for the time we’d had – shopping, eating, chatting, laughing – stuff we hadn’t done for such a long time. I reflected on Heather’s extraordinary bravery, balls and carpe diem attitude, her determination to make the most of her remaining hand and her life in spite of everything she had endured, largely without complaint …

Walking into Heather’s house-come-studio, the smell of oil, paint, canvasses on the wall and floor,
took me back to my school days and my love of art.

A short film following the creation and siting of a new work by artist Heather Jansch during Devonartworks 2007.