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Apart from occasional forays into silicone, Irish sculptor Sallyanne Morgan works with concrete and ferrous cement. She graduated from Colaiste, Conghaile Dublin, in 1996.
When and how did you get started?
When my Art Teacher first gave me clay about the age of 14; suddenly all my frustration with two-dimensional work disappeared and I was “home”.
What genre do you consider your work to be?
Figurative/ Expressive/Conceptual
Describe your work in 10 words or less.
Transforming common cement into engaging subject matter.
Where was your first exhibition held?
Sculpture in Context at the Conrad Hotel, Dublin. The theme was “The Celtic Tiger”. I did an abstract piece that was basically a vortex of destruction…
Do you have a favourite from among your own artworks? If so, why?
I have a few favourites – one is “Need for Joy”; it conveys exactly what I wanted to express at the time – this doesn’t often happen, but when it does, they become favourites.
What are you working on at the moment?
I often work in themes and so will explore one subject until I tire of it – at the moment I’m finishing the last in the series of “Flight”.
Which artist’s work are you most inspired by?
Earliest would be Michelangelo and Degas (naturally!); then later Ivan Albrights. “Into the world there came a soul named Ida” for me was a star-struck moment – his ultra-realism astonished . There are many more but particularly Kristina Cordoba and Willy Veringer.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?
Historian of some sort or an anthropologist or a dancer – I need about three lives!
What is the epitome of happiness for you?
Sending the kids off to school (bliss!); making a large coffee and settling into whatever I am working on. I am so grateful for being able to do this.
What brought you to Malta?
We had been living in Cambodia for five years and wanted to move back to Europe but not to Northern Europe. English-speaking Malta with its wonderful climate seemed like the best of both worlds. ,
What do you love about Malta?
Its size; discovering intimate historic labyrinths; the big sky; fantastic old doors (where they still exist); watching the old and new worlds collide and valuing both. Always knowing I’m about 10 minutes from the sea.
What do you hate about Malta?
Traffic, endless construction, and the pollution from both.
Favourite colour and what it means to you?
It seems to be pink, although it’s not something I like to admit, I am drawn to it all the time – my Inner Barbie? Also orange and purple – the colours of South East Asia, in my mind.
What is your favourite indulgence?
Being able to work, I’m usually miserable when I can’t.
Oh ….and wine!
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