deborah harrison sculpture
Gloucester
Deborah was born in Yorkshire. She 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
years 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 it’s
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
of it’s own. 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 (see website page). Previously 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 who are based in an old shirt factory
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.
