Alison Catchlove
I’ve always made things, even as a child. If I was given paper to draw on I would cut it up and stick it together in the shape of an animal. All through school I spent as much time as I could in the Art rooms. I was very lucky to have amazing art teachers, but I did always struggle with drawing and painting knowing that it was 3D work that I wanted to concentrate on.
I did my art foundation course at Mid Cheshire College, Northwich. That’s when I first got to play with metal and a welding torch. I was supposed to spend two weeks in the metalwork room before moving on to another department.
After I’d been in there a month I think they realised it was the best place for me and they let me stay (I think I must have used up the whole year's oxy acetylene budget for the entire college!).
From there I went to Loughborough University, where I was taught all of the different methods of sculpting but I always went back to metalwork as soon as I could.
Photos and text supplied by Alison Catchlove
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Tadah by Alison Catchlove
After my degree I struggled a bit, thrown into the real world with no real idea how to be a professional artist. That’s when a friend, who happened to be working at RHS Wisley, told me about this group called the Surrey Sculpture Society who had an exhibition there.
I joined the SSS at around 2003. My first exhibition was at Vivartis - I didn’t sell anything and I forgot to collect my work at the end of the show!
My next attempt was RHS Wisley - I sold! And I was contacted by some brilliant teachers who wanted to do a metalwork project with their year group and wondered if I could help. I did.
Then another school got in touch, and another and every time I exhibited I had more and more sales. Sometimes people commissioned me to make something and 10 years later I was able to give up my (mind-numbing) day job to become a full-time sculptor. I’ve been doing that for nearly 10 years now, all thanks to the SSS who set me on the right track!.
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