Stephen Coles

Stephen Coles studied at Carmarthen School of the Arts, before completing a master’s degree in sculpture at Alfred University, New York. After teaching there, he returned to the UK to begin his own foundry practice. In addition to teaching at institutions throughout the UK and Europe, Stephen works with artists, museums and conservationists creating bespoke works in metal.

Describe your approach to teaching
As a sculptor, I believe the processes of making are crucial in informing one’s creative practice.  I encourage students to explore the physicality of materials and the process of the intuitive ways that can serve theory and ideas.

What inspires your own work?
I am intrigued by the lines of the built environment that impose their geometries and spatial limits on all who exist within them. The making process helps me use these physical boundaries to create objects that also exist in space.