Soul Sculpture by Sophie

Sculptor and botanical artist. My passion is for capturing the unique beauty of nature and the human soul. I started sculpting in lockdown after remembering I had an old bag of clay from doing a couple of terms of sculpture under the tutorship of the hugely talented sculpture Mark Swan years previously. It started with an attempted portrait of my daughter and then a small hug made from air dry clay for a friend who was on her own. During a time when a hug and human contact became the most precious resource in the world, the COVID free hugs were born. Mark and fellow student sculptors joined the cause and together we created hundreds of hugs which were sold to raise money for the NHS as well as fund free hugs which were sent to NHS staff as a small token of our support. Since then I have undertaken a number of commissions including full figure dancers, portraits of people and pets and have developed a number of wildlife themed works including a Kingfisher, barn owl and toad. My love of mythology, history and exploring my ancestry had led to the development of a number of pieces inspired by the Vikings, Gods and Goddesses and links with nature. Most of my sculptures are made in clay first and then a mold is made so I can replicate the original work in a variety of mediums such as plaster of paris, jesmonite or bronze resin.