Deborah Stanhope Northumberland, United Kingdom

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I'm a British sculptor from Northumberland. I make sculptures in concrete which are either hand built or cast. I studied art in London, initially at the Sir John Cass School of Art, and then at Central Saint Martin’s majoring in sculpture, and drawing at the Royal College of Art.

Deborah is a sculptor based in Northumberland who works in concrete. Her figurative sculptures move between realism and abstraction. Her training as a sculptor – Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Art and Sir John Cass School of Art – instilled in her a profound appreciation of formal sculptural principles, which enable her to explore human experience in its myriad contexts; since she’s always worked with people they are of deep relevance to her practice.

Drawing has always underpinned her work and is often the start point to exploring an idea for a sculpture. And, since her work is figurative, regular life drawing from the model is fundamental to her practice. Among the many other influences on her approach and chosen media is the rich history and landscape of her rural home, high in the North Pennines, and her childhood in South Africa.

Her sculptures are either modelled in clay and then cast, or hand built directly in concrete. This allows for a dynamic interchange between leading and being led by the material and the idea under exploration; it lets initial subject ideas change and develop as the work emerges. The final piece then goes through various finishing processes.

Deborah has exhibited mainly in the UK and has work in The British Museum and private collections in the UK, Japan and South Africa.