Black Swan by Patricia Northcroft

Dimensions: 28.5 x 19 cm (11 x 7.5 cm)

Patricia Northcroft lives in the countryside in a barn, which she converted back in 1993, located on the border of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

A small stream runs through the garden, which is surrounded by fields, so there are many birds to be observed along with other wildlife, in the immediate vicinity.

Patricia Northcroft has always enjoyed working with her hands and after attending a weekend course on the "lost wax method of casting into bronze" and with the encouragement of the tutor, Patricia completed a small sculpture of an Avocet. She was then asked to produce another piece of work to complement it.

This led to more pieces and a new venture when she decided to take her bronze work seriously. This was in 1994.

Prior to having her family, Patricia worked in publishing, where she spent some time selecting photographs of African wildlife and European birds and she feels she still draws on some of those images today.

Not having an art background Patricia has had to learn by her mistakes along the way. In 2003/4 she spent a year fulltime at the Frink School of Figurative Sculpture.

Here she had the opportunity to work in different materials, including wood, stone, clay and the welding of metal, working from models for portrait heads and life drawing etc.

This was an inspiring experience and Patricia has since produced some new work in clay and life size pieces in cement and fibreglass on welded armatures.

The one medium she particularly enjoys is wood as it allows her to keep a simple form using the grain of the wood to express any movement.