I was born in North Yorkshire in 1943 and studied fine art at Bath Academy of Art before embarking on a teaching career. I valued this time which I saw as a shared and continued learning experience .I also took advantage of these years to travel and further my interest in the sculpture of different cultures and in particular those of classical and pre-Columbian origin. In 1979 I was invited to teach on a workshop organised by The British Council in Maharashtra State, India.

I came to ceramics almost inadvertently when I was given a sabbatical year to study ceramics at Camberwell. Here I learnt about clay and ceramic techniques. Also at this period I attended foundry courses and was taught bronze ceramic shell and patination techniques. My ceramic Torsos, which were finely hand modelled combined my knowledge of sculptural techniques with those of ceramics.

The portraits that I sculpt from life are carefully selected or commissioned before they are modelled and then either fired or cast.

I am inspired by the human figure as observed in everyday action and prefer to work from drawings and maquettes before translating these into the resulting sculpture. I collect and refer to my now considerable collection of inspirational objects and feel lucky to have access to the fine rock strata of nearby beaches of South Devon.

I hope to continue working from life, do a lot more drawing, experiment with fire and clay and continue my search for that elusive reality through my vision of life's rich experience.

www.helenridehalgh.co.uk