A Place to Rest

Bridget Whitehead

Sculpture is the language that I use to explore my relationship with the world around me.  Stone is my primary medium. The mass of stone appeals to me, the cool surfaces, the rough and the smooth.

Carving stone is a laborious process; work evolves slowly. Once a chip has been removed, there is no going back. I work with traditional tools of hammer, chisel and rasp; each blow is carefully considered.

Stone carving is an enduring artform. I am conscious of being part of a centuries long tradition and feel a responsibility to produce sculpture of lasting value.

Born Macclesfield UK 1965. Migrated to Australia 1990
Started sculpting 2015
Works in Sandgate NSW, on the land of the Worimi (Awabakal)

Prizes

2022 Sculpture in the Gardens – recipient of The Sculptors Society Sensory prize and the Moolarben acquisitive prize

Education

BSc(Hons) Geology
MAppSc Engineering and Environmental Geology

Professional Practice

My art is a natural progression from a childhood interest in rocks and beach combing, through a career as a geologist, to working stone as a sculptor. I like to work with natural stone and with stone like materials to make sculpture that is at home either indoors or outside.

I am interested in the connection between sculpture and the geology of sculptural media. The inherent material properties are a result of the conditions under which the stone was formed and to which it has been subjected since formation. In the same way that geology influences the landscape, the rock type surely influences sculpture made from stone.

I have degrees in Geology and Environmental and Engineering Geology; my art training has been an informal assemblage of workshops and courses. I have studied limestone carving with Gary Boote and marble carving with Alnassar at Tom Bass Sculpture Studio. I value greatly the support and encouragement I receive through Hunter Sculptors Inc. I am an active member of The Sculptors Society.

My works reflect my emotional response to life events and are influenced by the shapes and patterns in the natural environment. Home is a central theme of my work, questioning where is home and what makes a home. The use of stone in my work connects me to my home and my origins.

Exhibitions

Hunter Sculptors – Flow at C Studios Newcastle 2014 Singleton Art Festival Sisters of Mercy Convent Singleton 2015 Hunter Sculptors – Fertility at C Studios Newcastle 2015 Wondrous at Studio 48 Adamstown 2015
Beach to Barrington at Art Systems Wickham 2016
Sculpture on the Greens Kooinda Waters Resort Wyong 2016 Sculpture in the Vineyards Wollombi 2016
Hunter Sculptors – at C Studios Newcastle 2016

Hunter Sculptors – Hang Over at The Edwards Newcastle 2016 The Sculptors Society – Incinerator Willoughby 2017 Sculpture in the Vineyards Wollombi 2017
Sculpture on the Greens Kooinda Waters Resort Wyong 2017 Hornsby Art Prize 2017

Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition 2018
Contemporary Art Society of Victoria A4 – Herring Island 2018
Sculpture on the Farm 2018
The Sculptors Society – Chatswood Chase, Balmain Watch House and The Concourse Chatswood 2018
International Sculpture Centre USA – smallSculpture 2018