My appreciation of physical beauty and thirst for better understanding the human spirit (which dwells within the physical body but is not of it), combined perfectly to make sculptural 'realism' my driving passion and pursuit for over fourteen years.

The first subject to catch my artistic attention was portraiture...what else better expresses the illusive 'essence' or 'spirit' of the human condition? In fact, I was so excited by the challenge that the fourth person I asked to sit for me was New Zealand's ex Prime minister, Sir Robert Muldoon. I remain grateful that he kindly obliged me and to my delight, expressed pleasure at the result. My portrait of Sir Robert Muldoon can be seen in the gallery.

Portraiture is always a challenge, which is why I pusued it exclusively for the first five years of my budding sculpting career. Amongst some of my favourite portraits are Dame Whina Cooper (leader of Maori land rights activism in New Zealand) and our much loved maritime hero Sir Peter Blake who met an untimely death as a result of pirates boarding his vessel in South America.

Then I discovered ways of sculpting life size figures which could be fired! This was an exciting new step...the freedom to create beauty as I saw it. I believe strongly that physical beauty, whether it be a tiny flower on a lawn or the figure of a young woman, has inherent value in it's own right and has a place in the world of art.

So this became an all consuming passion for me. As a result, I've also been fortunate in meeting other lovers of sculptural neo-realism who've commissioned me to produce life size bronzes for them. More recently, I've been in a position to produce large bronze figures of my own accord, which have been puchased by art collectors through two highly reputable galleries here in New Zealand.

Currently, I am drawn toward creating conceptual sculpture and the solid foundation I have built through my focus on the human form and spirit is now serving as a vehicle through which I intend to explore more specific aspects of the human condition. This natural and timely progression spells the beginning of a new chapter in my artistic evolution...which fills me with as much enthusiasm for the projects ahead as I felt the day it dawned on me that I had found my vocation as a sculptor in the first instance.

I hope you'll have a look at my site and feel free to contact me via the contact page with any comments, feedback or questions.

Regards, Dell Pryor, Sculptress