I am very proud to be entering my 22nd year of business as a sculptor, with my own work style, which is unique and distinctive as a Sally Dunham creation. Over this time I have been privileged to work with a range of fantastic galleries and private customers.
My passion for creating is as strong as ever and I still get excited each time I pick up the clay to create something new, whether it be for a new idea I have had or to realise a bespoke design for a customer. I hope that my work brings the viewer as much enjoyment to see and own as it does to create! My main constraint is finding time to produce all the ideas I have as I am continuously inspired by the world around me, things I see and people I meet!
My love for art started much longer than 22 years ago, right from a young child I would spend hours creating models from fimo and fabric. My first real introduction to clay came when I started Sixth Form College in Cambridge and was given a choice of media in which to specialise. As soon as I touched clay I was hooked. I remember carving into a block of clay to create my first figure, and my wonderful teacher, Neil, saying to me, “Remember, the figure is in there, you just have to discover it”. This has always stayed with me. When I started my Degree course at the University of Wolverhampton, I spent two years experimenting with a range of techniques. Towards the end of my second year and the duration of my third year, my current style began to evolve and continues to develop to this day.
Many things have, and continue to inspire me. I am often inspired by ‘People watching’, just observing how people go about their daily lives and interact with each other. I also frequently have ideas as I am drifting off to sleep and have to jump up and make a quick sketch! Several themes for the ‘uplifting’ pieces in my Mister Herbert range have come to me whilst I have been practising yoga! There are also many times that a conversation, a song, a current event, or even a passing statement or saying, sparks a thought process and ideas. A huge early influence on me was the work of Rodin. I clearly remember visiting the Rodin museum in Paris on a trip with my sixth form and being totally mesmerised and blown away by his work. I had studied Rodin’s work in books, but that trip to his museum definitely had a huge and lasting impact on me. I still love to take time out to visit Galleries, as there is no replacement for seeing art in person.
