Jennine Parker

I see shapes in everything around me, from patterns in knotted wood to shapes that inanimate objects make. I take lots of photographs of weathered stones and walls which can inspire the textured finish to a piece of my work. My affinity is with clay and this is the main material I like to work with, but depending on the type of sculpture I want to produce, sometimes this necessitates me working in wax or plaster, using and experimenting with different materials changes the look and dynamics of my work.I generally hand build each piece using a wet clay or an oil-based clay depending on the final result I want to achieve. I usually work with a block of clay that I carve into. However, when using oil-based clay, I create a wireframe to give me the flexibility to end into the desired shape. I build the sculpture onto the frame from tiny pieces of clay, smoothing over as the layers build up. I add detail and adjust the shape as I go along. Once the piece is completed, it is sent off to the foundry where they then produce the piece in Bronze (using a lost wax process). This results in a wonderful transition from clay to bronze which is the final evolution of the creative process.From the age of 7 to 21 dance and Gymnastics were an important part of my life, and I believe that this fact has played a huge role in my work. These activities provide a way for the human body to express its energy through graceful or interesting curves and lines, creating movement and shape. In much the same way, my sculpture expresses movement, shape and texture - the female form imaginatively evoked through curves and shape