Canterbury, New Hampshire sculptor Carol Lake has just returned from the annual Animal Art Fair in Paris, a juried international exhibition of animal artists in all mediums, where she was the only American out of the 60 in attendance.
Lake’s sculptural practice is rooted in over 45 years of hands-on experience in farming and the equine industry, where she developed an intimate understanding of animal anatomy, movement and spirit. As a farmer, she spent decades reading the subtle language of animals and “assessing health through touch, observing the poetry of posture, and forming deep bonds with creatures in my care,” said Lake.
This hard-won anatomical knowledge now flows directly into her sculptural work. “Each sculpture becomes an act of communion — a way to once again feel the weight, warmth, and essence of animals I no longer physically tend,” she explained. “Through clay, I continue the conversation that began in barns and pastures.
Lake is a juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and a past winner of its Best in Sculptural Ceramics award. Her work includes public bronze sculptures on view in New England, and she is available for commissioned wildlife and figurative sculpture.
One of Artscope Magazine’s long time art critics, Linda Sutherland, shared questions with her on her process with her medium, her deep sensitivity to the animal kingdom and her journey of growth and transition.