the plaster bust collection

Contemporary re-interpretations of the 18th and 19th century portrait bust, these plaster busts are direct casts from sculptures which I've created from real-life materials and objects.

Rather than sculpting the cloth, hair and lace as in traditional busts, I made costumes from real materials and then cast from these, the plaster picking up all the textured detail of the original

As the collection has developed I've started to look closely at historical head dress and my research led me to the intriguing 18th century fad of decorating hats with very large scale, incongrous objects - famously Marie Antoinette adorned a hat with a huge ship in full sail. I've introduced the idea in this sculpture collection, placing architectural monuments, iconic landmarks along with random objects on the hats and costumes.

The busts are available in white or grey plaster.

To see the backstory to this collection and see the busts in the making, visit Kathy Dalwood Studio Blog
and look under 'My Studio' on the side bar

Please note, although photographed outside in some shots, the busts cannot be sited outside permanently as the plaster is porous and musn't get wet.