Balance - a large bronze sculpture of a child held by its mother

This large bronze sculpture of a child balancing on its mother's knees as if flying like an aeroplane, is a larger version of Flying Lessons, which is one of my favourite pieces.

I very rarely make bigger versions of sculptures, but a client asked me specially if I could make a larger version of Flying Lessons which would be big enough to be displayed effectively in a garden. It's surprising how much smaller a piece can look when it's positioned in a large space outdoors, so I decided to increase the size substantially.

There are official methods of size-ing a sculpture up - or down - but I've never learned them! So, to create this piece, Balance I didn't do any complicated measuring, but just began sculpting with larger sausages of clay and the same theme in mind. The work progressed well and I soon had the bigger sculpture ready to cast to make the new, larger bronze sculpture of a child.

Considering the lack of science involved, the two pieces are remarkably similar. There are a few differences in detail, for example, the addition of a hint of old-fashioned swimming suits for both mother and child, changes to the child's hair, different feet and hand postions, but overall they are very much alike, and I hope the new bronze captures the liveliness and joie de vivre that I wanted to convey in the first piece.

Balance made its debut in June 2008 at the Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail, where the owners of the garden where it resided reported very enthusiastic responses from visitors. It will then be shown at an open exhibition in Norfolk, and again at Thompson's Gallery in London in the autumn of 2008, where the original 'commissioner' will at last be able to see it.

Once again I have greatly enjoyed creating another bronze sculpture of a child having fun with its mother. Is this series finished now? I'm still not sure...

Go to Mother and Child Gallery.

This website © Vanessa Pooley, Sculptor
Norwich, Norfolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom