If awarded the Dover Prize, I will use the funding to significantly advance my sculptural practice through training, research, collaboration, and experimentation. Specifically, I plan to:
• Travel to Pietrasanta, Italy for two intensive 3-week periods of training in traditional marble carving techniques, learning from master artisans. (£4,000)
• Visit Rome and the Vatican Museums to study classical marble sculptures by the old Masters, deepening my understanding of historical techniques and forms. (£900)
• Enroll in the part-time ‘Sculpture from the Figure’ course at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art in London to integrate figurative elements into my predominantly abstract work. (£270)
• Expand my toolkit to include a wider range of carving instruments, allowing for more refined and detailed work in areas currently beyond my reach.(£300)
• Collaborate with a UK-based moulding and plaster specialist to produce larger and more ambitious wall-based sculptures—forms I cannot currently achieve due to the limitations of working alone in a restricted studio space. (£1000)
• Develop more ambitious work in marble and Maltese limestone, focusing on scale, complexity, and expressive potential. (£1,600)
• Experiment with combining bronze and stone to explore new material contrasts and sculptural dialogues. (£1,200)
Through this programme of research, training, and making, I aim to produce a new body of work that echoes the spirit and technical mastery of the Old Masters, while asserting a contemporary vision that is rooted in my personal practice. By drawing on heritage materials and techniques—and reinterpreting them through a modern lens—I hope to inspire a new generation of artists to embrace the value of patience, precision, and craftsmanship.
As a sculptor working in stone, bronze, and plaster, my practice is rooted in the beauty of material, the tradition, and the slow process of making, which is closely aligned with the town’s legacy: its history of ironworking and engineering, Stockton and Darlington Railway, and its architectural details: the stonework of St Cuthbert’s Church to the Victorian brick and iron structures. This rich heritage offers a powerful context for my work.
As part of the Dover Prize, I would like to reflect and respond to these local narratives through a body of sculptural work that celebrates craftsmanship, endurance, and form. By developing and exhibiting ambitious new work in Darlington, I hope to create a dialogue between the enduring physicality of sculpture and the town’s legacy of making and engineering that the people of town know so well.
This exhibition would not only mark a pivotal point in the development of my practice but also offer something distinctive to the region’s cultural scene—bringing attention to the continued relevance of material-based practices and reaffirming Darlington as a place where heritage and contemporary creativity meet and where the value of hand-making and particularity of each material remains deeply present.
I am a sculptor working in stone, plaster, and bronze. My work is based on transcription of 16th and 17th century painting with Greek and Roman mythology theme. Each painting, rich in drapery and movement give me the opportunity to translate the beauty of the brush stroke into stone. My works appear as dreamlike images in which fiction and reality meet, with time and memory always playing key roles. By focusing on both technique and materiality, I bring the viewer into a world of ongoing equilibrium, where the invisibility of air is depicted through movement. Applying an often metaphorical language, I seek to create compositions or settings that generate tranquil and beautiful artworks. I started my creative path with a painting practice while working as a toy designer, acquiring perspective, construction skills and an interest in colour theory. Then I moved into ceramics while living in Hong Kong, taking up two residencies in Jingdezhen (China), developing my understanding of shape, volume and space. This body of knowledge and skill informed my eventual move into sculpture and my two distinctions from the Graduate Diploma at City and Guilds of London Arts School.
After a product design degree in 1997, I went back to university at City and Guild of London arts school in 2022 for a Foundation year which I completed with distinction. I, then, went on a Graduate Diploma, with a specialization in sculpture in stone, plaster and bronze, to which I graduated with Distinction in 2024.
In collaboration with Lina Rincon, painter and poetess and CHRISTINE X ART GALLERY, Malta, we are in the process of finalizing a project to be submitted to the Malta Biennale.
This project involves the creation of a Maltese limestone sculpture, designed to actively engage the public with a collection of poems made available to them. Each visitor will be invited to read these texts written by Lina and choose
the one that resonates with them.
The participatory dimension is at the heart of this work: visitors will be able to insert the poem of their choice into the sculpture, either by attaching it to a wire or by sliding it into an alcove. This symbolic gesture aims to create a sense of community.
The exhibition will culminate in a final performance where the sculpture will be set ablaze. The poems, bearing the thoughts and emotions of the participants, will be consumed in an act of liberation and union. The words will rise to be released into the universe.
This project is an invitation to gather, to commune intellectually and emotionally around art. It seeks to transcend, individual and cultural boundaries, uniting an international community around a shared poetic and sculptural act.
My work has been featured in the following articles in magazine and online curated platforms:
2024
– Article by Robert Merry in Stone specialist winter 2024 publication, p16-17, titled “Future Stars”
– https://artplugged.co.uk/lee-sharrock-talks-with-artists-bowman-sculptures-graduate-show/
– https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Caroline-Berthelot-Williams-/49628301DC9AE44D
– https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBwB2hdISB8/
– https://www.meer.com/en/84209-bowman-sculpture-gallery-graduate-exhibition
– https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/caroline-berthelot-williams-attends-a-private-view-of-news-photo/2181801290
2023
– Teen World of Arts: https://teenworldarts.com/magazine/guest-artist-caroline-williams
– UAL awarding body: https://www.arts.ac.uk/partnerships/ual-awarding-body/stories/a-foundation-diploma-in-art-and-design-q-and-a-with-city-and-guilds-of-london-art-school
I am represented by Mark Stevenson at https://www.creme-fraiche.co.uk/
Art schools produce 40,000 graduates each year. The art world’s structure simply cannot support this many new artists, making it harder than ever for talented graduates to establish themselves professionally.
Crème Fraiche tackles this issue by supporting select outstanding graduates from London art schools. Our two years program: an incubator year followed by an accelerator year. During the incubator year, artists join the Crème Fraîche community and begin to build their network while receiving essential mentoring on professional practices alongside opportunities to develop their artistic work. In the accelerator year, artists expand their reach through major solo exhibitions, strengthen relationships with collectors, and establish themselves as accomplished professionals in the art world. In today’s competitive landscape, talent alone isn’t enough, and we are committed to giving outstanding artists the practical support they need to succeed.
We work with a fantastic network of arts patrons and enthusiasts, and are always looking to expand our community. We actively seek partnerships and collaborations across all sectors. It is important to us that art is for everyone, and the ability to buy artwork is not a prerequisite to joining our dynamic and ambitious community.
I participated in two residencies in China at the Jingdenzhen Pottery Workshop in 2009 and 2012.
http://www.potteryworkshop.com.cn/jingdezhen/
During these residencies, I worked with local mould makers, glazing workshops, and community kilns to improve my skills and develop my portfolio. It was a total immersion in the world of ceramics and a true learning experience for my practice. I was able to acquire techniques and develop skills rooted in Chinese heritage: low-relief clay sculpture, cobalt painting, and silver electroplating.
Subsequently, this experience gave me the opportunity to present my work in three group exhibitions, two solo exhibitions, and to be represented by two galleries in Hong Kong.
Email: bwcaro22@gmail.com
