The artist behind the work
I live and work in south-west France, where the landscape between the Pyrénées and the Atlantic continues to inspire me.
My sculptures are about people, relationships and the emotions that connect us. I love the process of taking an idea - sometimes something I've been thinking about for years - and gradually discovering its form.
About Amanda Hewitt
Amanda Hewitt is a British sculptor living and working in south-west France, in a picturesque village between the Pyrénées and the Atlantic coast.
After gaining a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art, Amanda worked in a variety of media, including oil painting and collage, before becoming increasingly drawn to sculpture. She initially worked primarily in wood, and it was during this period that she developed her understanding of line, form and space - elements that remain fundamental to her work today.
In 2003, Amanda was introduced to stucco by her tutor and mentor, Jean-Jacques Allain. The discovery transformed her practice. She found in stucco a material that allowed her ideas to take physical form while giving her the freedom to simplify and define the human figure through flowing lines, curves and surfaces.
The human figure and connection
Much of Amanda's work is concerned with human connection - the relationships we have with one another, the quiet emotions that are sometimes difficult to express in words, and the moments of intimacy that shape our lives.
Pregnancy has been a particularly important source of inspiration. Having loved being pregnant herself, Amanda began creating sculptures that celebrate this extraordinary period in a woman's life. Rather than simply depicting the pregnant body, she is interested in the experience behind it: the serenity, anticipation and sense of fulfilment, and the private bond that develops between mother and child long before birth.
She is fascinated by the contrasts within pregnancy - heavy yet delicate, bulky yet feminine, introverted yet somehow extroverted. There is also an intriguing tension between the intensely private relationship between mother and baby and the almost irresistible desire of others to touch a pregnant woman's belly.
These ideas have led to sculptures that are peaceful and intimate, but also tactile. Amanda wants the flowing surfaces and rounded forms to invite the hand, reflecting the instinctive desire to touch and connect with the work.
New directions
Amanda's practice continues to evolve.
Her Silent Dialogues series explores human relationships through simplified forms. Beginning with Feelings, which looks at tenderness, trust and physical closeness, the series has developed into works such as Thoughts, where the space between two heads becomes a place for communication, silence, misunderstanding and connection.
Her Floral Series has taken her back to her early love of collage, combining photography, digital composition and traditional mixed-media techniques. These works allow her to explore ideas that are less directly connected to the human figure - memory, perception, truth, kindness, cultural symbolism and the strange world of contemporary life.
Amanda is also experimenting with new materials, including paper pulp. This has opened up another direction in her practice, allowing her to explore more sustainable ways of working while introducing greater possibilities for colour and texture.
Alongside these new directions, colour, movement and optimism continue to have an important place in her work. Pieces such as Hope Springs Eternal grew from a desire to find possibility and joy during difficult times. Today, Amanda continues to look for those moments of hope, connection and beauty that remind us of what is good in being human.
At the heart of her work is a simple desire: to create something that makes people stop, look, feel - and perhaps recognise something of themselves within it.
"There is no experience more rewarding than transforming an idea into a piece of visual work that elicits an emotional response from the viewer."
