Artist Statement

My sculpture is fundamentally about life. I am inspired by nature, belief and belonging and a sense of the ethereal in our natural world.

Being constantly curious about life, I feel like a scout adventuring beyond the far reaches known territory, returning to communicate my discoveries and experiences through the language of form and light, movement and texture.

These explorations, translated into sketches, large dynamic charcoal drawings or colourful prints, are often finished works in themselves. The ultimate aim though is always to bring them fully into form as a sculpture cast in iron or bronze.

Once committed to 3 dimensions I like the structure and texture of my chosen primary material to be evident in the final piece, whether it starts its life in clay, plaster, polystyrene or other materials I may choose.

Although I employ a diversity of materials in the making of my sculpture, my focus and methodology is always the same: to strip away all unnecessary diversions and refine the form to fully reveal its essence or 'soul'.

Whether modelling with nuggets of clay to capture light and shadow and the history of a sculpture’s creation, or carving detail directly into a sand mould before casting in iron, I always aim for rhythm, harmony and a timeless quality in the final piece.

Biography

Caro Sweet was born in Aylesbury in the United Kingdom in 1960. She grew up surrounded by the fields and woodlands of rural Buckinghamshire that provided her with a deep and enduring connection to nature. It is this sense of ethereal beauty and majesty that has become the hallmark of her work.

Caro, a lifelong artist with a strong background in printmaking and drawing, received a classical training at The Frink School of Figurative Sculpture. While studying she was awarded a studentship bursary by The Elmley Foundation as well as a commission for the bronze 'Emerging Woman' for St. Michael's Hospice in Herefordshire.

Always pushing the boundaries of her knowledge, Caro discovered her love for creating sculpture in bronze and cast iron while working collaboratively with fine art foundries and museums in the UK and USA. Here she explored innovative moulding and casting techniques and developed her trademark velvety black patina for her cast iron sculptures.

Notable commissions in cast iron include 'Worship' for Ironbridge Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture and 'Indiana Visionary' for Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, Indiana, USA. Caro regularly undertakes private commissions in bronze.

Now living high in the Malvern Hills, Caro creates her art at her Worcestershire studio and in the USA, holding an annual Open Studio exhibition to showcase the year's work.

Exhibitions:

2011 'Iron Works' at Dudmaston Estate, Shropshire
Showborough House Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Gloucestershire
Studio Exhibition for Herefordshire Art Week, Bransford, Worcestershire
Christmas Exhibition, GreenStage Gallery, Bishops Frome, Herefordshire
2010 Showborough House Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Gloucestershire
'Iron Works' at Dudmaston Estate, Shropshire
Worcester Open Exhibition
Studio Exhibition for Herefordshire Art Week, Bransford, Worcestershire
Herefordshire Open Exhibition, Hereford Museum & Art Gallery
2009 Mixed Show, Limehouse Gallery, London
Showborough House Garden Sculpture Exhibition, Gloucestershire
Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, Solsberry, Indiana, USA
Studio Exhibition, Bransford, Worcestershire
'Iron Works, Ironbridge International Cast Iron Art Exhibition, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron
2008 Art Exhibition, Llangollen Show, North Wales
Summer Show, Sheridan Russell Gallery, London
Studio Exhibition, Bransford, Worcestershire
Group Figurative Show, Limehouse Gallery, London
Sculpture in the Garden V, Hergest Croft, Kington, Herefordshire
Birmingham Art Fair, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Group Christmas Show, Limehouse Gallery, London
2007 Birmingham Open Art Show, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery
Studio Exhibition, Bransford, Worcestershire
Solo Exhibition, Robson Ward, Autumn in Malvern Festival
2006 Studio Exhibition, Bransford, Worcestershire
Sculpture in the Garden IV, Hergest Croft, Kington, Herefordshire
2005 Studio Exhibition, Bransford, Worcestershire
Solo Exhibition, The Gallery at Droitwich, Worcestershire Read the article about this exhibition on the BBC website.
2004 The Swell Gallery, Upper Swell, Cotswolds
2003 The Orangery, Holland Park, London
Malvern Open Exhibition
2002 Malvern Sculpture Park
2000 First Sight Fine Art Gallery, Bristol
Sui Generis Gallery, Cheltenham
Malvern Visual Arts Festival
The Warstone Gallery, Birmingham

Commissions:

2011 Site specific bronze for private collection in Worcestershire
2011 Ascension for Sculpture Trails in Solsberry, Indiana, USA
2009/10 Site specific bronze for private collection in Herefordshire
2009 Worship for Ironbridge International Cast Iron Art Exhibition
2009 Indiana Visionary for Sculpture Trails in Solsberry, Indiana, USA
2008/9 Private commission for a memorial garden in Worcestershire
2008 Record the creation of a portrait sculpture of an ITN News Anchorman for two programmes aired on prime time UK television
2007 Figurative sculpture for private collection in Sussex
2003 Emerging Woman, bronze, for St Michael’s Hospice, Herefordshire
2000 Figurative sculpture for private collection in Worcestershire
1999 Millennium sculpture for The Savoy Group, London

Teaching Assignments:

2009-11 Guest Lecturer, De Montfort University, Leicester
2008 Direct build sculpture, studio workshop
2003-07 Private tuition, mould making and casting
1996-7 Art for personal development, Malvern Hills College of Art
1988-90 Stencil design and specialist paint effects workshops, Suffolk

Education/Artist Training:

2009 International Conference on Cast Iron Art, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
2008 Casting and wax working with Bronze Age Foundry in London
2007-9 Traditional moulding methods and iron pouring to create cast iron art at the Museum of Steel Sculpture, Ironbridge
2007 Advanced figurative sculpture studies with Guy Woodford
2005 Large silicone rubber mould making with Castle Fine Arts Foundry, North Wales
2001-3 The Frink School of Figurative Sculpture, Staffordshire
1997-03 Life Drawing and Figurative Sculpture at Malvern Hills College of Art in Worcestershire
1994 Etching and Lithography with Professor Chris Orr MBE RA at Gainsborough’s House Printworks, Suffolk
1988-95 Exhibition design and bespoke and conservation framing at the John Russell Gallery, Ipswich
1987 Stencil Design with Lyn Le Grice in Cheltenham

Bibliography:

The Story of Indiana Visionary

How to create and install an 8½ feet high, ½ ton, cast iron sculpture in just 3 weeks

Grants and Awards:

2009-10 The Fold Partnership Additional Studio Facilities
2009 Arts Council England Art Project Grant
2009 Worcestershire County Council Inroads Grant (first individual artist to receive this grant)
2009 The Elmley Foundation Project Support Grant
2009 Malvern Hills District Council Educational Arts Tour Grant
2009 University of Kentucky, Technical Support Grant
2009 Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, Indiana Installation Grant
2009 Tuska Fine Arts, Kentucky, Studio Facilities Grant
2009 Sloss Furnaces, Alabama International Conference on Cast Iron Art, Large Mould Support
2009 The Performance Improvement Project Ltd Project Support Grant
2009 Gold Stamp Publishing Ltd, Media Support Grant
2008-9 Bronze Age Fine Art Foundry, London Bronze Casting Sponsorship
2003-9 Creative Spaces Website Facilities and Event Media
2003-8 The Performance Improvement Project Ltd Annual Studio Sponsorship Grant
2002 The Elmley Foundation Studentship Bursary