Deborah Harrison
Deborah is an award winning contemporary sculptor who specialises in stone. She discovered stone carving in her middle years in the Greenbelt Festival craft tent. Later she went on to study Fine Art and do a year diploma in stone masonry after which she turned professional after the death of her mother in 2015. Her first sculpture teacher said stone was a perfect option as it limited the numerous creative choices she could make as she is led by the stone, using the technique called carving direct, following the grain, form and colour. She lives with the rocks until she sees the shape within, then carves until she reaches a skin and the sculpture takes on a life. Her works are a unique combination of figurative and abstract forms. Deborah is best known for her alabaster sculptures and also carves in marble and limestones.
Deborah seeks convergence between the characteristics of the stone, her growing carving skills and her faith. Carving with hands, head and heart to impute emotion and presence into her pieces.
Notable sales have been to the NHS Trust with The Hand of Fannie Storr a previous director of nursing, to Sir Malcolm Evans the Chair of the United Nations Anti-Torture Subcommittee, a luxury spa hotel in Portugal and CEO of a large company in the USA.
Deborah won the Ashburner Sculpture Prize 2022 for her Stone Totem which was about Connectivity. In 2020 she received the Sculpture Award and Guest Judges Award with the SWAC, was the winner of the Christian Arts Festival Award, selected for the RWA 168th exhibition and was also a finalist for the Chaiya Arts Awards (exhibited in the London South Bank's Oxo Gallery). In 2019 she was a finalist for the online Covid-19 IMPACT exhibition.
Deborah enjoys working collaboratively with organisations to raise access to the arts in the community. Her work was the basis of the Matson Sculpture festival where she gave workshops in local schools and talks to the community. Her work was part of a charity auction to raise funds for refugees.
Deborah is based at Gloucester City Works where she leads carving courses for all levels of ability and experience. She welcomes commissions for indoor and outdoor sculptures, for public and private clients.
Deborah is one of the founder members of the Cotswold Sculptors Association which began in 2017 and now has 100 members.
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