Sophie Le Lievre - Sculptor

04/01/2024

04/01/2024

Greek mandala - ornamental details symbolic of the cycle of life and death. The seeking of pleasure over pain and promise of heaven or enlightenment, marked by the presence of gold leaf. leaf

19/12/2023

Do you always work in series?

   I work in series because once I have realised a concept there is a sense of resolution and the work comes full circle. Also my art is intrinsically connected to the period in my life when it was created, and the main themes of life and death.
With this body of work I had very clear ideas on each style and motif within the mandalas. There was a language of ornament to follow, but within that I was free to play with shapes and space to interpret and translate my concepts.
This process allowed my subconscious to wander and meditate while I was grieving.
Sometimes I needed to stop and cry, other times I didn’t think of anything at all and my mind could rest and heal.
There is beauty in decay, as with aging and experience. It’s ok that you’re not always ok. It’s ok to let things go, to focus on what’s important, or real, or your mental health.
Traumatic experience can alter and inform our perception, understanding and outlook of the world, and I believe art nurtures that understanding as well as providing critical creative expression. #

19/12/2023

Artist questions: What are your biggest influences?

     I’m influenced by nature, texture and psychoanalysis.

Coming from an island I’m sympathetic to the changing elements and particularly aware of erosion and decay. I love paying attention to miniature worlds, mimicking these in my studio or taking life-casts and working small.

This series is more structured than my textural, abstract works. My interest in embellishment comes from my experience with modelling and plasterwork and I love the precision and delicacy of ornament and its craft.

I also find the intersection between art and psychotherapy fascinating. Each design has its own religious and spiritual symbolism. The religious rituals that accompany these mandalas are essential outlets for coping, healing and letting go.

01/07/2023

Egyptian palmettes, egg and dart, Greek acanthus leaves etc all make up the ‘Greek mandala’ in the ‘Portal’ series. Designed to enhance the religious meanings of life death and fertility and highlight the practice of mandala making for mental health.

01/07/2023

Greek mandala
The last post in my ‘Portal’ collection - sculptural motifs referencing life, death and fertility within Egyptian and Greek architecture.

21/06/2023

BREAKING NEWS: Our Summer Art Club offer is now finalised 🥳
Link to the description of the programme:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyYml46p2-keKGgRewxTsA0B8xc7l5wj/view?fbclid=IwAR2J0b3zJ_-Chv3oozbYNQhQ-rcuxvI9rnIx0dLHpQM1It6nmRUVO-J0PGo&pli=1

To respond to so many enquiries from so many friends and parents, Art for Guernsey is finally launching its own art club, 5 days a week, over the 8 weeks of the summer holidays !!

"Through art activities, the children will have the opportunity to travel through time to explore art, beginning with humble cave paintings and ending with a modern perspective."

Every week, children will be exploring a different period of art history, with different techniques, in a uniquely inspiring venue, at the very heart of our new gallery. They will also curate their own art exhibition at the end of every week (which will be open to the public every Saturday) and go home with several of their artworks.

The programme will be managed by our new (and amazing !!) Education Director and a team of passionate and experienced art profesionals.

As promised, we have booked all the pre-registered interests in priority. We still have a few spots but demand is likely to be high, so please book quickly if your are interested, as we will take bookings on a first come first serve basis.

Link to form: https://forms.gle/cdbYxkC4JA2TfeMM7

We think that the programme is best suited to 6 to 12 years old. The booking will be per week, for 5 full days.

Any additional questions, please get in touch with [email protected].

31/05/2023

Delighted to announce my work will be on show for the ‘PASSAGES’ exhibition.

Looking to investigate the notion of progress and personal growth, this year’s theme Passages is taking inspiration from our ever-changing, fast-moving world. These artists demonstrate their vision of how art engages with global events.

We want to shine a spotlight on new ways of thinking and feeling in terms of exploring a spatial, physical, and emotional timeline. Our aim is to explore new frontiers in contemporary art by examining how current histories and our personal journeys intersect. It is through rituals, events, and experiences that we create our own paths, as well as through social change that our myths are shaped. Through a fresh perspective, the artworks for this year reflect and comment on the zeitgeist.

15/04/2023

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7apCZ3rT7opgAxiRLWg9O2?si=Z-7ZtlAcRbqYfrufJctvlg

Guernsey Press Arts Podcast · Episode

26/03/2023

Mahometan portal, 3/3 edition still available, PM or email for details.

26/03/2023

Celtic wheel mandala, PM or email for details