PRESS RELEASE February 2024 RNCM FOUNDING PRINCIPAL HONOURED WITH NEW SCULPTURE BY HAZEL REEVES Sir John Manduell CBE, the Founding Principal who brought together two eminent Manchester music schools to establish the Royal Northern College…
The Economist journalist Joel Budd interviewed me for ‘They could be heroes: Britain is in the midst of a Victorian-style statue mania’. Our Emmeline gets a name check and photo in this interesting article. The…
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…
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…
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…
First, I need to finalise the Cracker Packers’ figure armatures. My models come in, one at a time, so I can compare them to the armature – many tweaks are required. I also take lots…
In order to breathe life into my Cracker Packer figures I need to work with live models. What I need are two women, one taller than the other, to model for me. Using actual Cracker…
Did I mention the biscuit? The two Cracker Packers, from past and present, are standing atop my favourite – a Carr’s Table Water Biscuit. At 90cm wide, it’s a little larger than the ones I…
The work continues for several weeks on the detail of the armatures. It not only has to be strong, it has to be accurate, exactly reflecting the Cracker Packers maquette yet scaled-up. You can tell…
Clay is heavy so we need to build a strong metal frame or armature to support it. At this stage I usually work with the sculptor Mark Longworth who’s great at planning out a rigorous…
With the spirit of the Cracker Packers front of mind after the workshop, I am back in the studio working-up the design for the statue. I immerse myself – listening to the audio recordings of…
I feel incredibly privileged to be selected to sculpt my hero, and Manchester’s hero, Emmeline Pankhurst. There was tough competition. The response to my design has been overwhelming; Emmeline as the courageous, determined and dignified…
