Vanessa Pooley |
My sculpture has grown out of my fascination with the female form with its beautiful curves and flowing lines.
I've always loved the shape of the female body...
Ever since I was small I've wanted to work from the female figure. As a child I remember playing with handfuls of clay found on the beaches in Suffolk and the satisfaction I had from moulding the soft sticky lumps into shape.
I still use clay to create my sculptures because the responsiveness of the material allows me to play with the forms until they feel right. I know a sculpture is finished when it suddenly becomes a presence in the world. Now, here I am, specialising in figurative bronze sculptures and still enjoying playing with the shapes, again and again.
People say my sculptures make them happy..._My bronze sculptures tend to be in series. The Mother and Child series celebrates one of the most wonderful experiences of life - having children. More recently I have started the Dancer series, sculptures which explore movement inspired by the ballet The Nutcracker.
My latest group of work is about hugging or snuggling up - but the figures are without arms. Exploring the bond between two figures that do not need to hold on to each other.