Portraits and Figurative Sculpture

The Human Form

With human forms stone can be taken to limit and translated into flesh, hair or lace. For as long as people have existed depictions of our kin have been carved.

Public Figures

Lining the hallways and foyers of museums, libraries and public buildings, portrait sculptures were once a popular way of immortalising and making a statement about notable figures in society. Often depicted in finery, they were status symbols in their own right. These countless busts are now often overlooked, the people they depict belonging to another age, their stories slowly becoming part of the buildings around them.

Personal Sculpture

Where a photograph captures a snapshot, a portrait sculpted in stone or bronze takes that snapshot and adds all the characteristics of the personality in three dimensions. In a colourless material, the sculptor has room to play with light and shadow, bringing a blush into the cheeks, a softness to the expression or a sparkle into the eye with nothing more than the angle of a chisel or modelling tool. What was that person like? How does the pose reflect their character? What angle will reveal something of the person that a photograph alone cannot?

A portrait commission for us is a special moment, both an opportunity to showcase our skills at the highest level and a huge sense of responsibility, as these depictions often become part of how that person is remembered. Capturing a moment in time; that sideways smile, that knowing look of wisdom, the slight turn of the head ,is only part of the process. We put enormous care and attention into not only depicting the physical form, but trying to capture the character, presence and qualities that words can’t always describe. It is in those small details, often almost imperceptible, that we hope to find the person behind the portrait.

Work in Bronze

While we pride ourselves by creating beautiful objects in stone, sometimes Bronze is a more fitting material. Working with some of Britain's top foundries we can also produce figurative works in bronze using the traditional Loss wax techniques.

Our process remains much the same in through the design modelling and casting. It is only at when the finished wax model is produced that we give the green light for the bronze to be poured.