Odyssey - Eve Shepher

“This body of work made up some 25 years and depicts an epic creative voyage, my Odyssey”

The 508 Gallery have teamed up with Farnon & Lake to bring you an exciting and adventurous exhibition of world class sculptures by Eve Shepherd.

Back through the mists of time when Eve was a tender age of 17 she had no idea when she first touched clay and made her first figure, that she would be entering into a marriage made for life. The union of woman, material and form have remained loyal to each other, though all the ups and downs of life’s turbulent and unforgiving waters. In this lengthy relationship between maker and material, a sculptural language developed over 25 years, and now holds an eloquence, fluidity, trusting rapport and brutal honesty only associated between ones who know each other well.

Though much of Eves work appears to be rooted in Greek mythology, it is more of an expression of psychological states, she uses the human and zoomorphic forms to illustrate a state of being human. This work draws influence from classical literature, Homer, Milton, Coleridge, and pays homage to the great sculptors of the past, Rodin, Giambologna, Bernini, and waves a hand to artists such as Dove, Titian, Bacon, and Picasso.

The small scale of the work offers a freedom and expression, untethered by the rigid, immovable armature of a full scaled sculpture. Eve then sculpts intuitively playing with the concepts, emotions and narratives inspired by an immediate response to the material, form and mood. These pieces then invite the individual to connect with them, offering an intimate interplay between viewer and sculpture. When these maquettes are scaled up to life-size and beyond the power of the work is often amplified to speak not only to the individual but also to an arena. In Eves Odyssey, the maquette and material has served steadfastly as a life raft, an anchor, a battleship, a drifter, an explorer through this epic expedition of a life lived so far.