The sculptures of Holly Hickmore combine the classic and the contemporary, the rigours of skillfully depicting the tension of a muscle and the strain of a sinew with the freedom of allowing the subject to guide the hand of the artist. Indeed, Holly’s subjects are at once familiar, and as with her horses extensively depicted throughout history, yet they also possess a distinctive character that allows us to see them anew.

Her equine busts in particular, ranging from life-size to monumental depictions, appear almost as if they have been sketched in the air with each line and stroke overlapping, layering and weaving together to create forms that pulse with an underlying energy and vigour. Yet this energy is delicately contained and framed by a sense of grace and knowing, as if artist and subject are equally balanced, steadying the hand and the gaze of one another.

Holly’s sculptures carry a sense of movement even at rest. They appear to have paused just long enough to be captured, the notations of their stance and poise translated, before bounding onward again. They glance and take in their surroundings with curiosity and confidence, a tilted head and a raised paw, echoing the minutiae of body language and telling signs that only an artist who immerses herself in the true nature of her subject could depict.

At the heart of Holly’s practice is a deep intuition and understanding of her subject. She forges meaningful connections that allow her to freely and openly create and truly do justice to her subjects. A collaboration and a dialogue with an unspoken trust between artist and muse.