Biography

Jo Sweeting is a sculptor, printmaker and letter carver, living and working in Brighton. Her work is based on the concept of 'Shul', a passing impression or mark left on the landscape - from a dry riverbed to a hollow where an animal has slept on the grass. She carves these impressions into clay, wood, plaster and bronze. Stone is her preferred medium, because unlike many other materials, its beginning and end state remains constant. She likes the original form of the block of stone to remain within the sculpture. Although Sweeting’s main inspiration is the British landscape, her work is also influenced by her love of poetry and even an overheard conversation can start the process. Her work is concerned with the traces left on our bodies and memories. She uses words, a figure or a plant as a starting point and focuses on growth and change. She lets the carving process define the form as the work progresses.