Our Emmeline: the clothed figure – I
So on go the clothes, layer upon layer. The skirt needs a lot of clay so we build an armature that goes around her legs, liked a hooped petticoat. Then I spend hours adding the…
So on go the clothes, layer upon layer. The skirt needs a lot of clay so we build an armature that goes around her legs, liked a hooped petticoat. Then I spend hours adding the…
In early summer, Councillor Andrew Simcock (Chair of the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue Campaign), Manchester City Council women councillors and women from the SafeSpots charity visit my studio to see the clay Our Emmeline in progress…
Call me traditional. As far as I’m concerned, the only way to get a convincing figure is to work with a model and start with the unclothed figure first. If it was good enough for…
I am often asked why I use models, as it adds time and expense. My response is to ask, how could you sculpt a convincing statue without working with a model? If you want your…
With Our Emmeline’s armature complete, there’s no time to waste. On goes the ceremonial first piece of clay. But with half a tonne of clay to add, I have to speed up. Fast enough for…
Tick. The first stage of the armature is done. The main scaffolding structure, including a ‘back iron’ to take the weight, is in place. From this early stage you get a strong sense of the…
UNVEILING ‘Rise up, women’ Statue of Emmeline Pankhurst Friday 14 December Between no.s 1 & 2 St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 3DE www.womanchesterstatue.org Timings updated 6 December 2018 The excitement is mounting. Only a month…
It’s early February. The snow is on the ground. The funding gap for The Emmeline Pankhurst statue is bridged by the Government’s Centenary Fund (Centenary Cities). Time for celebration and the signing of my contract…
International Women’s Day 8 March 2018 – 11am As you read this, women biscuit factory workers – the so-called Cracker Packers – are unveiling my bronze statue dedicated to their work, lives and friendships. It’s…
Part of the humour of the piece is that the two Cracker Packers are standing atop a 90cm-wide Carr’s Table Water Biscuit. How do I go about sculpting a giant biscuit? That’s a new one…
It’s 5.30am in the morning and Sandra, my model, falls asleep standing up. Okay, it’s time to stop. No one else will appreciate the minor tweaks I am making. Guess I’m a bit of a…
How two figures interact is not something I usually need to think about. But I have set myself a challenge. To capture the spirit of the Cracker Packers, there has to be two figures. And…