April Shepherd
April Shepherd is an established British sculptor producing highly expressive works. She explores movement and the natural world. Her sensitive yet unsentimental animal studies have won her considerable acclaim. Her concepts are often enriched by her love of literature, folklore and mythology. Her smoke fired horse series explores the idea of weightlessness; that through the expression of extreme and spontaneous movement, even a brawny animal like the horse can defy its intrinsic earthbound nature. Employing a variety of media including clay, bronze and resin, April attempts to push the boundaries of the materials she uses. The surface of the work is inspired by the effect that smoke firing creates. As smoke licks around a form it leaves a resinous variegation. These marks coalesce into a dramatic and naturally derived canvas, tracing a permanent record of the fire.