I was fortunate enough to have my own personal entertainment over 4 consecutive evenings in the dressing rooms of the Theatre Royal, Bath. Billy entertained while I worked!
The first 1st edition was commissined by John Reid Enterprises and 2nd owned by Billy.
Billy Connolly, known for his long, messy hair, goatee beard and lots of bad language in his stand-up show, was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards where he became a welder. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually becoming an accomplished banjo player and a member of the band Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty (later of Baker Street fame). The jokes he told between songs eventually took over his act and he became a full-time comedian. He is by some considerable margin UKs top comedian.
Luke Shepherd - Biography
Too traditional to be taken seriously at art college, yet too gifted to be ignored, Luke Shepherd has always made portrait busts, working directly in the clay without the need for preliminary drawing.
His name is synonymous with bronze portrait sculpture, with a plethora of commissions over the past 20 years from sitters such as comedian Billy Connolly who sat for 4 hilarious sittings at the Theatre Royal, Bath where a spare dressing room was turned into an impromptu studio.
Other famous sitters include The Late the Rt. Hon Viscount Tonypandy, The Rt. Hon the Lord Crickhowell, Leo Abse and the singer Stuart Burrows to name but a few.
Shepherds bronzes have been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Academie des Beaux Arts, Paris as well as in the public collection of the National Library of Wales and the University of Wales.
Shepherd strives for both perfection and precision. His work is firmly established in an observational methodology, returning renaissance values whilst maintaining a contemporary mode of expression that exhibits a clear understanding of the sitter, bringing out the enduring qualities of their character. Alongside his commissioned portrait busts, his smaller figurative bronze editions are beginning to be highly prized.
The artist explains ...for the past 22 years I have been studying the human head, fascinated by a desire to unravel its mystery. Each sitter reveals their beauty, unique and elusive. To preserve this moment of understanding and capture it in bronze is my aim in both portraiture and smaller figurative works.
Shepherd has close links with the Royal College of Surgeons of England where he teaches plastic and maxillofacial surgeons the 3-D aspects of their art.
Lukes flare and ability is above all for portrait sculpture, admiring great artists such as Rembrandt, Michelangelo and the Impressionists. He now lives in rural Devon with his wife, Aga and studio.
If you have purchased before and would like to review this artist, click here.
Reviewer:
February 18, 2010 - Art & Activities
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Follow Luke Shepherd on Twitter
Reviewer:
November 25, 2008 - jane
Rating:
Excellent course - highly recommended Luke's courses are excellent! He welcomes you into his studio and home, cooks delicious meals for course participants, gives interesting lectures and then guides you through the practical processes involved with an accurate critique of your work at the end. His course notes are fulsome and very useful, both as an aide memoir and as reference to more in-depth study and information on suppliers etc.
Highly recommended.
Jane Baker Sculptor
Reviewer:
November 24, 2008 - Luke
Rating:
With great enthusiasm In a creative burst some 40 years ago I taught myself portrait head modelling and waste mould casting in ciment fondu. Six heads followed over the next 18 months, all still in the hands of the sitters. Last year I undertook a course with Luke, who bridged that 40 year gap and showed me the importance of a sound visual and technical approach to portrait modelling, which exposed the weaknesses of my youthful efforts and re-ignited my desire to explore portrait modelling, but in in a more disciplined and mature way. 40 years is a considerable gap to bridge, but Luke's enthusiasm and skill have given me the desire unpack my old modelling tools and utilise some of the creative remnants of my youth. Tony Hill
Reviewer:
November 21, 2008 - Luke
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Luke is passionate about his subject "Luke is passionate about his subject and this comes through in his teaching about which he is serious. Although not a beginner I learnt a huge amount both in terms of techniques but more importantly an approach and framework to portrait sculpture. The four days were well structured – and there was no time to be bored. \"
Michael Saunders - Course Participant 2008
Christopher Biggins with Sculptor Luke Shepherd
Christopher Biggins is once more undergoing a further trial. This time not of the ‘bushtucker’ variety, but in clay.
Biggins is sitting for a portrait bust while in Pl...
It is believed that glassmaking in Murano originated from 9th century Rome, with significant Asian and Muslim influences, as Venice was a major trading port. Murano’s reputation as a centre for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wooden ...
Christopher Biggins with Sculptor Luke Shepherd
Christopher Biggins is once more undergoing a further trial. This time not of the ‘bushtucker’ variety, but in clay.
Biggins is sitting for a portrait bust while in Pl...
