Stella and Daniel Callaghan of the art gallery Callaghans of Shrewsbury, demonstrate the breathtaking power of a sculpture in bronze
CALLAGHANS OF SHREWSBURY
Whatever form a sculpture may take, whether the subject matter is real or imagined, there is something remarkable about taking a rough and raw material and turning it into an arrestingly beautiful work of art. Stella Callaghan, who, with her husband Daniel, runs Callaghans of Shrewsbury, knows this more than most. Over their 35-year history, the couple have garnered a reputation worldwide for their extensive knowledge of paintings and sculpture. “I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful things every day,” says Stella. “And nothing is more striking than bronze sculpture in particular.”
Sculptors can create remarkably different finishes with bronze, whether sculpting the human or animal form. “Bronze sculpture can add an extraordinary element to a room, changing the ambience with its presence,” explains Daniel. “It’s no wonder it is the most enduring and demanding of all the visual arts.”
Callaghans of Shrewsbury is fortunate enough to represent four talented sculptors specialising in this medium, two of whom – Tobias Martin (b.1972) and Richard Smith (b.1955) – are animalier sculptors (whose subject matter comes from the animal rather than human world), though both favour different techniques and finishes. Martin uses a textured depth of bronze to render an animal’s skin or fur, such as his piece, Best Friends, which depicts two life-size puffins with exquisitely detailed features. His works never sentimentalise, but reveal, with respect and sensitivity, a deep knowledge of, and wonder at, the animal kingdom in all its splendid glory.
Conversely, unlike Martin’s textured works, Richard Smith favours the smoothest of finishes with polished bronze adding another sensory element to his pieces. Smith is surrounded by nature in his remote studio, set in a former gamekeeper’s cottage, so, unsurprisingly, it proves his greatest inspiration.
Adding another diverse element to Callaghans of Shewsbury’s collection of bronzes are works by Carl Payne (1969–1921), whose focus is on figurative sculpt
