Sally Matthews (born 1964) is an English sculptor, known particularly for sculptures of animals, which stand in locations in the UK.

Life and works

Matthews was born in

Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and south, Lichfield District, Lichfield to the north, south- ...

, and in 1986 gained a first-class degree in fine art at Loughborough College of Art. She received bursaries from

Northern Arts The regional arts boards (formerly regional arts associations) were English regional subdivisions of the Arts Council of Great Britain History As the Arts Council began to move away from organising art activities in the 1950s, regional offices i ...

in 1989 and 1992, and residencies include

Grizedale Forest Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km2 area of woodland in the Lake District of North West England, located to the east of Coniston Water and to the south of Hawkshead. Historically, within the county of Lancashire, it now lies in the Westmorland ...

. Many works have been created by commission. Matthews has written: "My work is in praise of animals, to remind us of our spiritual and physical need for them and the incalculable example their nature provides us with.""Sally Matthews – Wolves"
''Grizedale Sculpture''. Retrieved 27 June 2024. The materials used "all have a relevance to the subject I am making. They usually have a texture and colour that means no surface has to be added." They "are often suggested by the subject, or the place I am working in." Her works include the following: Sculptures in Grizedale Forest in Cumbria are "Wild Boar" (1988), "Wolves" (1990) and "A Cry in the Wilderness" (1993). Matthews has written that "such a place helps my work to be seen not as sculpture but as animals connected to their landscape". Three sculptures of

Irish elk The Irish elk (''Megaloceros giganteus''), also called the giant deer or Irish deer, is an extinct species of deer in the genus '' Megaloceros'' and is one of the largest deer that ever lived. Its range extended across northern Eurasia during th ...

(1994), commissioned by

Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

, are in Snibston Colliery Park, Leicestershire. They are made of welded mining artefacts. Three sculptures of Lincoln Longwool sheep are near

Stixwould Stixwould is a small village in the civil parish of Stixwould and Woodhall, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Geography The village is situated east from Lincoln and north-east from the large village of Woodhall Spa. ...

, Lincolnshire. They are made from welded scraps of iron and chains. The sculptures were funded by the European Union, Lincolnshire County Council and the East Midlands development agency. "Donkey Crossing" (c. 2010) consists of three bronze sculptures of donkeys by Selworthy Road,

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...

, Somerset. It was commissioned by Rhyne's art project "Revealing the Hidden". An inscription tells that after working hard through the summer season on the beach, the donkeys crossed here on their way to local pasture for the winter."Donkey Crossing"
Art UK. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Sally 1964 births Living people Alumni of Loughborough University Artists from Staffordshire People from Tamworth, Staffordshire 20th-century English sculptors 21st-century English sculptors 20th-century English women sculptors 21st-century English women sculptors Animal sculptors