Another two years have flown by since the last exhibition of Sophie Ryder's work in the gallery. It is difficult to comprehend where the fifteen years have gone since we first showed the wire sculpture and collage of a relatively unknown twenty four year old Sophie in our Salisbury premises.

Quite a number of those of you reading this will remember that early work -- sheep, horses, goats, hares and dogs -- and will have seen its evolution during the ensuing period. Others who have become acquainted with the name more recently, as Ms Ryder has established an ever-growing international reputation, will be more familiar with the relationship between the Minotaur and the Lady-Hare which has become central to the work in the past few years.

As always with this immensely talented artist -- the work rarely stands still -- the last two years have seen further exploration of this theme. The 'couple' now have a child and the image of the family unit is very strong and recurring. The majority of the work in this show, both two and three-dimensional, is therefore about the inter-relationship between the three members of the family.

I believe that Sophie sees a correlation between them and her own family where the bonds with Harry, Maud and Nell are so secure. Sophie, the consummate professional in the same mould as the late Elisabeth Frink, fiercely guards family time, as is obvious to anyone who knows her well. So what has happened since the last show?

Well, the scale of the large outdoor pieces seems to continually increase. Two vast wire torsos have been exhibited in The Hague and the work in progress at the studio includes armatures which suggest to me that the final bronze sculptures will be in the region of twenty feet high. On the other hand, the new 'Paint Pots' and 'Sitting Lady-Hare' bronzes are part of a series of pieces which will happily sit on the smallest of tables. So, hopefully, there is something for everyone!

Ryder is a marvellous draftswoman, equally at ease in two dimensions, and her new charcoals and pastels complement the sculpture admirably. Last year, Sophie exhibited in Vancouver and produced a new etching with aquatint, 'Lady-Hare with Dog'. In my view, this is the best of her prints to date and the last few of the edition will be offered.

Such is the ever-growing demand for bronzes that Sophie and Harry have now started up their own foundry next to the studio. So the whole process -- moulding, casting and finishing -- can now be done in-house. At present, the facility only deals with small pieces but who knows what the future holds? One great advantage is that Sophie, who demands perfection at every stage of the casting process, can monitor proceedings easily and wastes far less time travelling to and from foundries further afield..

Click here to see details of Sophie Ryder's previous show (May 2000)

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