Steve Winterburn has created three powerful new pieces for autumn 2022, taking his wildlife sculptures into a different dimension. The Black Panther Series combines his love of African wildlife with his interest in mythology into the new works, ‘Love’, ‘Power’ and ‘Wisdom’, all of which are created in an art deco style with clean, simple lines.
“I love old tombs and carvings, especially African art, which I collect, so I really wanted to introduce something contemporary that had that power,” Steve says. “When I was working on the new panther, I tried placing the bone jewellery worn by African tribes around its neck and it just came to life with power and beauty and of course we thought of the Marvel Black Panther character because both connect the reverence of the animal and the power of the supernatural.”
The titles of the series come from the patinas. ‘Love’, with a verdigris patina, represents the emotion via the blue and green colours of the sky. ‘Wisdom’, the silver figure, represents age and knowledge, such was the reverence of the metal. Finally, ‘Power’ links to the black and gold used in ancient Egyptian art, and the infinite strength of the unknown.
This new collection invites the viewer to closely examine one of the world’s most fiercely beautiful creatures and consider the importance of protecting the animals that inhabit the planet with us.
© Washington Green 2022. The content of this site is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission.