Fountain Fine Art

Sallie Wakley

All my life I have had a love of nature, wildlife and the `great outdoors'. Growing up in the beautiful counties of Devon and Somerset, I spent an idyllic childhood roaming the countryside, building camps, helping on the local farm, and collecting animals -anything from an orphaned lamb to a slow worm or two.

I was always encouraged to paint and draw so when I heard about the Wildlife Illustration course in Carmarthen, South Wales, it seemed the perfect opportunity to further my interests.

In 1986 I moved to Wales to study and gained an invaluable knowledge in observation and drawing skills. In my second year I began to find working on flat surfaces and paper limiting so I took a trip to the Sculpture Department and discovered the wonders of clay.
It was really fantastic to be able to work in a more physical `hands on' way. I spent the next 2 years thoroughly enjoying its possibilities and learning about the `Raku' firing technique - a process that is challenging and fast with its flames, heat and billowing smoke but also exciting as no two firings are ever the same. I find that the beautiful lustre's and crackle's that are produced have a natural, organic quality that I feel enhances my animal forms.

Since graduating with a distinction in 1990 I have shown my work in the UK, Europe and the USA whilst also building up a number of galleries where I show my work on a regular basis.

In 2003 I bought a little house on a beautiful hillside on the outskirts of Swansea which I share with my three dogs and five cats. I am currently in the process of building my first proper studio after years spent working in leaky cow sheds and freezing cold caravans. Here I plan to continue working and developing my skills. I would like to have some of my work cast in bronze and I also plan to learn how to weld so that I can work on a different scale, creating large animals and birds for the garden.