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Edinburgh based artist Andrea Geile studied Visual Art in Hanover, Germany, and has held residencies in Orkney, Germany, France and Australia. She has been working from her Scottish studio since 1996 and has realised many public and private art commissions. Her outdoor sculptures are made from Corten steel, often grouped with real plants and relating directly to the site environment. They are subtle interventions, merging into the landscape and are often only visible on closer inspection. Among others she has received Awards from the RSA and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Andrea’s sculptures are hand-made from Corten steel; a weatherproof steel that forms a protective layer which stops further corrosion. They therefore have an unlimited life span and do not stain. Andrea fabricates all her sculptures herself. The patterns are first drawn onto sheet metal then hand-cut, assembled like a 3D puzzle and finally welded together. Andrea has worked on several large scale public commissions including Culzean Castle and, most recently, a sculpture commission titled ‘The Chlorophylles’ at the FANK Arts & Heritage site in Lettermore Forest on the Isle of Mull; celebrating the community effort bringing this site back to life.
Public Collections include:
City of Edinburgh Council; The University of Edinburgh; NHS Tayside; City of Albany Art Collection, Australia
Orkney has held a special place in my life since my first visit in the early 1990s. What began as a trip to visit friends has grown into a lasting source of fascination that continues each time I return to the islands. In 2024, I was delighted to receive the Stephen Palmer Travel Bursary Fund to undertake a research trip to Orkney Mainland. The aim was to study coastal and marine plant environments. I had the fantastic opportunity to view the Magnus Spence Herbarium Collection at the Stromness Museum, particularly its remarkable collection of 390 seaweed specimens. Local artist friends joined me on coastal walks and foraging trips, and during these visits to the seashores I began to form ideas inspired by the shapes and colours of the tidal zone. Back in the studio, these impressions evolved into a new series of cube sculptures, each block representing an element of the environment, whether natural or human made. Once stacked, they create a complete landscape, a reflection of Orkney’s balance between nature and human presence. My next trip to Orkney is already planned, and I look forward to once again being challenged and inspired by Orkney’s unpredictable, ever-changing conditions.
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