Chris Bladen

Take a childhood that fostered a close relationship with the natural world and its creatures, coupled with a sculptor father who trained aspiring artists to see anatomical form and structure in their crafting material, and you begin to understand Chris’ incredible eye for detail.

 

He studies each species methodically: watching, photographing and sketching the subject matter before taking to the sculpting itself. As an avid fly-fisherman and enthusiastic birder, he uses each encounter to hone his craft.

 

Each custom-made bronze sculpture starts with an intensive study – considering form, anatomy and the environment the subject matter lives in, in order to get a full understanding of the species. 

 

Technically, for this artist’s immaculate attention to detail, the most important part of his studio work is designing the armature which serves as a base for the clay modelling stage. Depending on the piece, Chris uses natural water-based clay, wax-based clay or sculpting wax. Recently he has been collecting clay from local riverbanks, which he feels brings him closer to earth and nature in its raw form.

 

His observational accuracy is complemented by his experiments with the more abstract and suggestive, as he plays with form and surface texture.

 

With each piece he produces, Chris hopes to inspire an appreciation of the beauty of our marine and bird life, and the desire to respect and conserve them.