Gemma Rees’s dog sculptures are characterful and full of life, poised as if they could spring into action any moment. Both scruffy and illustrative in nature, each sculpture appears to have come from a Wes Anderson film set – their tactility a testament to Gemma’s love of dogs. Gemma’s sculptures are inspired by her walks on the beach in West Sussex where she lives with her Partner, their two boys and a very hairy Bedlington Whippet Arlo who has been immortalised in much of her work.
Particularly drawn to Lurchers and other scruffy dog types, her sculpture start as a drawing before moving onto creating a wire armature. She will then build up the clay around the wire to establish the final form. Creating the hair for each dog is a highly intensive process, often taking weeks at a time to complete, using materials such as fibres, resin, wire and clay.
Gemma studies at Stourbridge College of Art, Birmingham University & Brighton School of Art. She spent many years designing stationary products for companies such as Art Group & Gallery 5, before deciding to move on and experiment in 3D sculpture.