Many of Mela Cooke’s sculptures have a cryptic but satisfying balance: they possess the gravity and beauty of the human form, but a somehow corresponding playfulness often dances over the piece as well. Though she also sculpts animal and still life objects, her bronze sculptures are mostly human figures in their organic situations: in repose, swimming, playing rugby, on a scooter, shooting an arrow, or a couple in embrace. Her main inspiration is capturing and expressing the breadth of people’s everyday experience.
Cooke’s focus on and expert knowledge of anatomy stems from her 25 years working in physical therapy in her hometown of Brisbane, Australia. Trained in both bronze sculpture and marble, Cooke enjoys the tactile experience of the initial forming for the metal casting. The sensuousness and negotiability of clay allow her to put motion and emotion into her pieces. She also capitalizes on the three-dimensional privilege of negative space.
Cooke has created many public works and commissions around the state of Queensland .She has served as both president and vice-president of Sculptors Queensland. Her pieces are in private collections worldwide and are featured in both the Galleria Azur (Berlin) and the Van Gogh Gallery (Madrid).
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My inspiration and love of people and animals is best expressed in my bronze sculptures. I enjoy the process of working in clay, with its sensuality of form, as it allows for different qualities of surface and line, negative space, motion and emotion. The bronze sculpture has a unique strength and beauty, and allows the figures to disclose a certain tension and suggestion of movement, while maintaining subtlety. I hope the viewer looks at the work from different angles and in different lights, to appreciate the nuances and passion that I have inscribed into each of my pieces.
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