Jennine Parker
The stories behind Jennine’s arresting bronze figures are firmly rooted in her own life; for her, sculpture is not a new departure, but relates back to her childhood and has given her the freedom to express her personal experience. Between the ages of 7 and 21 dance and gymnastics were an important part of her life, and taking the energy and grace of the dancer or gymnast as her starting point she creates masterly evocations of movement and personality.
Jennine sees ideas in everything around her, from patterns in knotted wood to the shapes that inanimate objects make. She takes lots of photographs of weathered stones and walls which can inspire the textured finish to a piece of her work.
She creates a stylish juxtaposition of smooth and textured surfaces amongst her curves and shapes which renders these sculptures as stimulating to the touch as to the sight. She is currently developing a portfolio of original Encaustic pieces, using pigmented wax, oil and mixed media to create stunning land and seascapes.
Jennine says: “My passion is the human form, and I like to do as much life drawing as possible. This encourages strong observation and is the foundation 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.”
Each piece goes through a lengthy process which begins with Jennine hand building and carving and ends in the foundry where it undergoes that amazing transition from clay to bronze – the final evolution of the creative process.
“My work expresses a passion to create movement, shape and texture. Ideas evolve from all aspects of life around me and my sculptures are imaginatively created through curves and shape inspired by the female form. Inspiration from nature creates a contrast from smooth to textured surfaces. All of my sculptures are created using an oil based modelling clay. I press texture into my sculpture from any interesting debris, bricks and pebbles to give depth and interest to each piece.”
