I'm Frances Segelman, and I'm a sculptor.
I've sculpted I would say probably about 140 busts. There were two that stand out; The Duke of Edinburgh is just simple, and yet it’s got something special about the movement and the way he was as a person. But I think the ultimate one is The Queen, because of this figurehead of who she is, how nervous I was, how I overcame that, and It was my dream, that was my goal you know to be able to do The Queen one day was fantastic.
I also do two sculptures a year for a charity, where I'm sculpting a person with hundreds of people watching, and I finish that in two hours.
It’s so miraculous to get a look of somebody. It’s so difficult sometimes to get that look, and it may not happen.
Video summary
Meet Frances Segelman, the celebrity sculptor whose figures include Queen Elizabeth II, Joanna Lumley and many others.
She is a self-taught sculptor who is now an associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
She describes how sculpting Queen Elizabeth II was her dream, and how she overcame her nerves on the big day.
She shows us her work sculpting Sir Derek Jacobi at a charity event and describes how she tries to capture the look of a person.
Teacher Notes
Students could have a go at sculpting a figurative bust in clay; experimenting with photography to record all angles of the sitter and then recreating.
This will be relevant for teaching Art and Design at GCSE/KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4/5 or Higher in Scotland.
Sculpture tools and techniques. video
Frances Segelman demonstrates her sculpting technique
Sculpture inspired by Michelangelo. video
Frances Segelman tells us why she is inspired by Michelangelo
How to sculpt a bust in two hours. video
Frances Segelman sculpts a bust of Sir Derek Jacobi
