Wynn Walters

As an artist, I try to capture, interpret and re-present beauty as I see it. My work focuses largely on the female figure and wildlife subjects, both representing grace and beauty in nature. I work primarily in a representational style, with the elements simplified in some cases, but rarely to the point of abstraction. Much of my work is figurative, with the female figure as a central theme. Figurative sculpture is perhaps the oldest form of sculpture, with examples from ancient cultures many millennia ago, and flourishing in the Greek and Roman empires, and again in the 16th century (examples, Michelangelo, Bernini), through to the 19th century (Rodin, Maillol). In the 20th century, with the rise of more abstract and non-representational art in all media, figurative sculpture became regarded as passé. It is still largely out of vogue, but beginning to make a reappearance. I believe it is an area that demands new exploration. It is also a style that demands extraordinary skill and considerable discipline, unlike some of the "looser" styles of abstract or non-representational sculpture. Two prominent elements in

my work involve line and texture. The graceful and harmonious flow of line, whether in the human form or in bird, marine or flower forms, is evident. In the stone pieces, I often leave part of the stone uncut and unpolished, in its natural rough form, to create a textural contrast with the carved and polished figure, often emerging from the stone. I work in both stone (marble, alabaster, limestone, soapstone) and bronze, finding the two differing creative approaches refreshing. Carving stone is an extractive process, where material is removed (extracted) to reveal the figure. Working in bronze is an additive process, where clay is molded and added to build up the figure, which is then cast in bronze. Other terms used are negative and positive techniques. But common to each is the mental image of the finished figure that the artist sees as he works. However I regard stone as the ultimate in sculptural media. The rendering of the soft and fluid forms of the human body in an unyielding medium like marble poses the supreme challenge for a sculptor. It is this challenge that keeps me chiseling at stone, day after day, week after week until it is transformed into flesh.