L OC AL P EOPLE
Set in Stone Julie Wilson is a Leicestershire artist specialising in the naturalistic sculpture of animals. With highly collectable work being noticed at a national level. Amander Meade visited her studio in Great Easton to view her latest collection
Julie Wilson
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PROMISING artist throughout her school days, Julie went to Loughborough Art College opting for a fashion course instead of Fine Art much to her tutor’s disgust. “I was fascinated by tailoring at the time and won two national competitions during my student days.” A post-graduation job with iconic menswear brand Wolsey was followed by a move into children’s wear working for Rob Roy Limited – famous for their velvet trimmed children’s coats – where Julie worked her way up to Head Designer. By the time she was married and a mum of three young children, Julie and her husband Bob were living in Great Easton and enjoying rural life. When the opportunity came to try pottery as part of the ‘Ladies’ Day’ scheme at Uppingham Community College, Julie jumped at the chance to try something new. “The courses were aimed at women at home with children and were like night school but during the day. My youngest son Patrick was two and a half so he went happily into the crèche and I got my hands on clay for the first time.” During that first session, whilst all the other attendees crafted a pot or bowl, Julie caused much amusement by creating a cockerel – her first attempt at sculpture. “That was the beginning of a fascination with sculpting animals,” she remembers. “I am very interested in all kinds of wildlife and conservation so animals and birds were natural subjects for my work.” Drawing on the experience of other sculptors, Julie honed her craft with the support of mentors such as artist Tessa Pullen who pointed her in the right direction, critiqued her work and gave lots of practical support. Having cleared an outhouse which became her home studio and purchased her own kiln, Julie spent months improving her technique until her first sale spurred her on to approach galleries in the region. “I made
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a pig and a highland bull with the Uppingham Fatstock Show in mind. A gallery took them and they both sold at once which was so exciting and gave me the boost in confidence I needed to start selling my work.” Julie’s work is highly detailed, textured and very natural but the process is painstaking; she begins with a lump of coarse stoneware clay which she rolls and manipulates from scratch using slab building techniques before putting in all the detail by hand. Subjects include mammals like hares, rats, bears and deer as well as leopards and cheetahs, owls, penguins and other birds. “I can turn my hand to any kind of animal or bird as long as I have a good image to work from”, she explains. “Lots of my commissioned pieces are of family pets so dogs of all breeds are a a speciality.” Once the model is finished, it is left to dry for a week before Julie applies a coat of watered down clay called a slip plus any coloured underglaze the piece requires. The sculpture then has its first firing in the kiln, is removed and cooled before other oxides and glazes are applied to increase the depth of colour and add character detail. After a second firing, the piece is complete. Always striving to improve further, Julie tests herself by entering national competitions including the Society of Wildlife Artists competition and the Wildlife Artist of the Year event organised at the Mall Galleries in London by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation which she describes as a great experience and is already planning her entry for the 2016 event. “I’d love to win one day – that would be a dream come true”. • You can view Julie’s work at the Old House Gallery, Market Place, Oakham and the Croft Wingate Gallery in Market Harborough. Contact the artist through her website at www.juliewilsonsculptures.com
RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING OCTOBER 2015
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