After 24 years of working in a corporate world akin to the Death Star (whilst quietly sculpting in private, to sooth my troubled mind) I finally found courage and hope, leaving in 2019.

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In 2020, between lockdowns, I travelled to Italy, long a dream of mine where I deepened my skills and gained confidence working with marble. That journey continues to this day, as I source stone from the legendary quarries of Carrara and Pietrasanta for use in my studio nestled in the beauty of North Yorkshire.

 

I’m a multidisciplinary artist drawn to stone, steel, collage, found objects, intaglio, and relief printing. My heart lies in the rhythm of carving, especially local limestone. It’s a process-driven practice: slow, meditative, and unhurried one that invites reflection. Much of my work happens outdoors, and being Yorkshire-born, I rarely let the weather hold me back.

 

My inspirations are broad and unapologetically eclectic: dystopian futures, ancient myths, the architecture of cities, political unrest, environmental decline. These themes pulse through my practice. My work can be unsettling, occasionally provocative and always with a glint of mischief.

 

I’m a passionate advocate of Modernism, especially in architecture. I’m drawn to the bold, sometimes brutal presence of mid-century buildings and how they defy their surroundings, standing in stark, dramatic contrast to both landscape and human scale. In my own way, I hope my sculptures carry that same spirit of defiance.

 

I’m new to exhibiting, still in the early stages of building a body of work to share with the wider world.

 

I studied at Leeds School of Art and under Marcia Bennett-Male RSS. Recently, I’ve started passing on my skills as a tutor and technician in stone carving at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield a full-circle moment that brings both joy and purpose.

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My work has been exhibited at

• Onform. Asthall Manor, Burford

• Coles Gallery, Leeds

• Rural Arts, Thirsk

• Craven Arts, Skipton

• The Sculpture Gallery, Leeds

• Newby Hall, Ripon

• The Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate

• Leeds Central Square/Leeds Bourse 

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 Contact me at Johnnysunter@outlook.com