Bronze sculptor Vanessa Pooley FRBS Looking back, I can see the path that led me to be a bronze sculptor.I’ve always been intrigued by shape of the female body. I remember at nursery doing drawings of female figures, or rather girls, again and again and again. They were wearing those fabulous triangular-shaped dresses that symbolise 'female' to children. I loved doing them - and I must have kept doing them because, the teacher ended up banning me from doing any more and made me do 'proper' work - writing or reading. Not a good day! I often wonder if that banning was the first fuel to my desire to be a bronze sculptor? Later, at about 10, I dug raw clay from the beach at Walberswick in Suffolk. It was rough, with small stones and pockets of sand in it, but was malleable enough. I formed female heads this time, rather stylised, with long straight noses and nice hair! They were 'cooked' in the top oven of the Aga and then painted. Painting them was a bit like getting my hands on make up - something I did not have! Early encouragement I was thrilled when a sweet old lady bought it. Her name was Mrs Gold and we became friends. It was exciting to visit her low thatched cottage on a side road I had never been down before. She must have been very cultured and had innumerable dark oil paintings on the walls with lights above each one, and a grand piano. But not long after she told me she was ill - she had stomach cancer - and she only allowed me to visit her once in hospital before she died. Looking back I can see how very kind she was. She was one of the special people who took me seriously. She had posed as a fortune teller at that same village fete and I took her message to heart. The important thing she said - that I took away with me - was that although there was a 'black cloud at the moment', it would pass. I suppose she could see that I was lonely, but I wonder if she realised the power of her small encouragements? Somewhat later, my older brother also showed appreciation by buying one of my odd standing female figures in its long fluted bright yellow dress with flowing hair. I wonder if he still has it? I suppose I remember these things because, silly as it sounds, they really did help me psychologically, and eventually perhaps led me to a career as a bronze sculptor. An influential teacher
At that Saturday class I made a number of autobiographical sculptures, working out some of my personal issues in the clay I suppose. Some were of several figures together, as I thought about the various relationships around me. Mr Forward was a huge man but gentle and kind and with a sense of humour. He helped with many of my worries. I was upset when told that I would not be getting the annual school art prize, but then Mr Forward gave me a book, The Primal Scream, in which he wrote "The Hewett School Art Department Prize 1976", and told me that it was the real prize. Higher education But after only a term I realised Sociology really wasn’t me, and meeting up with an old friend I bemoaned my fate about not going to art college. He asked why didn’t I go after all? It was such an intelligent question! So I managed to change - with the help and encouragement of my old teacher Hugh Forward - and began a Fine Art foundation course at Norwich Art College. That was the first step towards becoming a professional bronze sculptor. I can't have been the most popular student with the staff because I spent very little time in the foundation department and more in the life room with the degree students.That’s where I had my first life drawing experience and I spent the rest of the year continuously drawing from the model, a very important part of any bronze sculptor's training. After that year I managed to get a place on a Sculpture degree course, again at Norwich Art School. At that time, the style of work encouraged in most sculpture courses was not figurative but working mostly with abstract forms. I was in a group of students who eventually organised a model to work from, and the college generously paid the modelling fees. Although I honestly did try to do some work unconnected with the figure, in the end my degree show was a collection of partial figures – mostly torsos. Going to London I learnt all the skills I would need as a bronze sculptor - how to make armatures to hold up the clay or plaster, how to measure and balance the figure and how to make plaster moulds for casting. Living in London was tough financially, but I was delighted to find there were colleges like the Sir John Cass, in the East End which ran cheap classes and where there were clay facilities and models to work from. I continued to work on sculpture in a small way, making ceramic figures and firing them at the John Cass, doing part-time jobs to keep going. First exhibition The show was a watershed, because for the first time I sold work. It astonished me that people, at this stage mostly friends, were prepared to exchange my sculptures for real money! It gave me an enormous boost of confidence and helped me decide to keep working as a bronze sculptor. From then on I have shown in London, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and widely throughout Britain, as well as in Zurich and Ghent, and also continue to enjoy organising shows for myself. And I still get that thrill when people buy the work, because it means that they really like it. I returned to Norfolk nearly 10 years ago and now live in beautiful and ancient Norwich, with my husband, an art therapist, and two sons aged 9 and 12. I still exhibit frequently, both nationally and nearer to home, and local interest in my work has been fantastic. My work as a bronze sculptor has continued to develop since moving and I'm looking forward to working on new themes. Go back to the top of this page about Bronze Sculptor Vanessa Pooley Read Vanessa Pooley's Curriculum Vitae Go the the Home Page
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Gradually the exhibition opportunities have grown and a number of galleries have invited me to show with them.