JULIE TANNER - SCULPTOR
ABOUT JULIE
Last year I was awarded a grant from Arts Council England to study portrait sculpture in Rome and I also travelled to the states to study figurative sculpture with award-winning sculptors, Kristine and Colin Poole.
I can proudly boast of selling the entire edition of 'Flow' (which was only my second attempt at sculpting a female figure) within a year. I currently have work in the Watson Gallery, Edinburgh.
I’m a Bristol based sculptor, specialising in bronze figurative pieces. My foray into sculpting came about during lockdown 2020. Work as a freelance graphic designer was waning and with time on my hands I felt compelled to be productive and express my creativity so I took up sculpting and stone carving. Sourcing free limestone and borrowing basic tools I quickly became hooked and was taking on commissions.
The move to working in clay came about as a result of making maquettes for my stone sculptures. With no formal training, I spent the next two years teaching myself the fundamentals of sculpting; making armatures, moulding, and patination. I currently use oil or water-based clay to produce bronze and resin sculptures and readily admit to being completely obsessed with sculpting.
To help fund my sculpting passion I have taken on a position as a modeller and moulder in Pangolin Editions fine art foundry in the Cotswolds, where I’ve benefitted from learning more about the techniques involved in the sculpting process. I’ve won the Lady Petchey Sculpture Prize twice, in both 2021 and 2022 and was a finalist in the VAO Emerging Artist Prize in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and the Boynes Emerging Artist award 2022.
As a sculptor, my passion for anatomy and movement infuses every aspect of my work. I find beauty in the intricate details of the human form, from the curve of a muscle to the subtle play of light and shadow across the body. With each piece, I strive to capture the essence of movement, freezing a fleeting moment in time with a sense of grace and fluidity. Whether it's the gentle arch of a back or the dynamic twist of a torso, I try to ensure authenticity and realism in my sculptures but also love to experiment with different styles and scale.
My love for anatomy and movement not only drives my artistic process but also allows me to create pieces that i hope resonate with viewers on a more visceral level, evoking a sense of awe and admiration for the human form.