CARL PAYNE

Carl is a Staffordshire based sculptor for whom art has played a large part in his academic work taking him through the Burslem School of Art, the Henry Doulton School of Sculpture and then to Stafford College.

After studying in Figurative Sculpture he launched his career with commission after commission which has now secured his reputation for fine quality workmanship both in life-size format and smaller gallery pieces.

The list of his completed commissioned work is extensive, including many household names from the sporting world, commerce and the past.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

My sculpture is figurative art at its highest level. Each created piece becomes a doorway through which we can pass into that illusive dimension beyond the physical. Demand for my work allows me to give full reign to my creative impulses. I turn and turn again to the human figure for its drama, its narrative content and endless capacity for expressing the spiritual in line and form.

Ideas for my sculptures arrive from many avenues, including Mythology, history, religion, music, which all evolve around the sacred feminine. This subject found me many years ago, and I have been fascinated with ever since.

Whilst I work directly from my model, and aim to produce a faithful study of human form, I always interpret the study according to the appearance of the final piece. The idea is constantly evolving, until the casting in bronze. With the message and medium in mind, I have a great deal of involvement in the casting process, from the initial sculpting in wax to the final patination of a piece, I am able to use the process to convey a powerful sense of meaning in my work. The medium of cast bronze allows me to produce striking contrasts between smoothly sculpted forms and rough textured surfaces, areas of patination and polished bronze.