Margot Stephens has been working as a figurative sculptor in the medium of clay throughout a professional career spanning over 35 years.

Margot’s father built a studio on their property in rural NSW when at age 16 she was selling small clay figures through a local art gallery whilst still in high school. Study for a BA Visual Art majoring in Life Drawing, in Sydney ensued. During this period Margot attended a study tour of early renaissance art in Italy with the University of Sydney. Profoundly inspired by Italy, at the completion of her degree she returned to Italy to spend a further six months in a studio in Tuscany cultivating sculpture and glaze techniques.

Returning to Australia the Italian Consulate commissioned an exhibition of the characters of Commedia dell’arte for exhibition in Sydney. Studying these Italian regional characterisations and considering their correlation to Jungian architypes influenced Stephens figurative studies for years to come.

Stephens has always maintained a regional presence, either living in the UK, Italy or in NSW Australia. The quiet presence of a rural landscape enables her to work immersed in her studio without interruption. The result being highly detailed figurative sculptures either as ceramic, decorated in colour over form or modelling light over figure and drape for bronze sculpture.

Stephens has sustained a professional career by exhibiting figurative sculpture through private and regional galleries in NSW, SOFA (Sculpture Object and Functional Art) Chicago and New York & Chelsie Art Show in London. Over the past decade she has been primarily employed on commission, public and private.

Stephens explores the synthesis of the internal mindscape with the external presence of a subject through representational figurative sculpture.

Portraits are created in collaboration with the subject or commissioner. In the event of a historical portrait Stephens undertakes extensive research and interviews, utilising all relevant resources to meet the clients’ criteria.