About Patricia Northcroft
I live in the countryside in a barn, which I converted back in 1993, located on the border of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. A small stream runs through the garden, which is surrounded by fields, so there are many birds to be observed along with other wildlife, in the immediate vicinity.
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I have always enjoyed working with my hands and after attending a weekend course on the "lost wax method of casting into bronze" and with the encouragement of the tutor, I completed a small sculpture of an Avocet. I was then asked to produce another piece of work to complement it. This led to more pieces and a new venture when I decided to take my bronze work seriously. This was in 1994. Prior to having my family, I worked in publishing, where I spent some time selecting photographs of African wildlife and European birds and I feel I still draw on some of those images today.
Not having an art background I have had to learn by my mistakes along the way. In 2003/4 I spent a year full-time at the Frink School of Figurative Sculpture. Here I had the opportunity to work in different materials, including wood, stone, clay and the welding of metal, working from models for portrait heads and life drawing etc.. This was an inspiring experience and I have since produced some new work in clay and life size pieces in cement and fibreglass on welded armatures. The one medium I particularly enjoy is wood as it allows me to keep a simple form using the grain of the wood to express any movement.
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My bronze work can be found in galleries around the British Isles and has been included in exhibitions abroad as well as Great Britain. It has been acknowledged by the Hilliard Society of Miniaturists for being of a consistently high standard and was given the Bidder and Borne award for sculpture by the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers exhibition in 2008 held at the The Mall Galleries in London.
My latest commission was for a Lapwing in silver which was awarded for conservation work by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group at the House of Commons.
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