Deirdre Nicholls

Most artists make work for the viewer to look at;

I make works that look at you. 

I studied sculpture & printmaking at Liverpool and Winchester Schools of Art in the 1970’s.  Taught by William Crozier, William Pye, Patrick Heron, Norman Ackroyd and others, I was an early winner of the Northern Young Contemporaries Prize.  Some of my work is in public and private collections in the UK, US, and France. My best-known piece is a bronze bust of Nelson Mandela commissioned by Glasgow City Council and some of my bronze portraits are in the University of Edinburgh collection. 

The most notable piece I made recently was a shocking pink sheep. Shown at the RA, RSA and RUA, ‘Hello Dolly’ is part of a series; she has clones in bronze and the plan is to create British farm animals, including rare and protected species, at a scale of 1/3 life size. I try to capture their characteristics just as I do in my portraiture. 

I have made many portrait heads in bronze and plaster and I try to make the works look different from different angles according to the changes of light or the viewer’s mood so that the piece reveals itself over time. The magic arrives I find, almost in the last minutes of the long struggle to complete it. With the sheep I have tried to do the same; to get some feeling that this work is conjuring up the essence of the gorgeous Poll Dorset breed.

Most of my work originates as a clay model. I am very keen on proportional and anatomical logic, rather than total correctness. I love the flow you can get with clay, and the way this translates so well across subsequent casting finishes such as bronze or plaster. I rely greatly on the team at the foundry to help me achieve my vision. Visualising and modelling the work is a solo act, the execution is a team game, and these unseen players are hugely important.

My heroes are Rodin and Brancusi.  I also love and admire Volti and Maillol for their deliciously full and flowing works. My favourite contemporary sculptors are Rachel Whiteread and Ai Weiwei; they both have a gentle way of creating a powerful message and this is what I too am aiming for.

My studio is in the beautiful Ettrick Valley in the Scottish Borders, and you are very welcome to visit.