Over the years, we have been commissioned to create portraits of both people and animals, from formal commemorative works to deeply personal sculptures made for families and private collections. Each presents a different challenge, but the intention remains the same: to create something that feels alive.

Human Portraiture

Human portraiture has a long tradition in sculpture, yet every commission begins afresh. A successful portrait needs to capture not only proportion and physical features, but expression, posture and personality.

Depending on the project, we may work from life, photographs, archival material or a combination of references. The sculpture is developed gradually in clay, allowing us to refine the likeness while retaining the marks and gestures of the sculpting process.

For memorial and commemorative pieces, there is another layer to consider. The sculpture needs to communicate something of who that person was — their strength, warmth, dignity or particular character — rather than simply recording their appearance.

Animal Portraiture

The same principles apply when the sitter happens to have four legs.

We have sculpted animals ranging from much-loved dogs and horses to African wildlife. Here, too, anatomy is only the starting point. The angle of a head, the set of the ears, the stance of an animal or the expression around its eyes can completely change the character of a sculpture.

When creating a portrait of a particular animal, photographs and stories supplied by the owner become an important part of the process. These details help us distinguish between a generic representation of a breed or species and a portrait of an individual.

Wildlife portraiture offers a slightly different opportunity. Rather than depicting a particular animal, the commission may seek to capture the presence and character of a species — the power of a lion, the stillness of a heron or the distinctive stance of a nyala.