Would you like to interview Sculptor of the Mercury Music Prize award?
My name is Bridget Penn-Berkeley sculptor of the Mercury Music Prize - opening a gallery early next year
with an exhibition of work that has not been shown before.
My interest was drawn to smaller sculptures made of more permanent materials and my work became more awards based. I fell in love with the quality of bronze, stone, brass, and titanium materials. I made awards for Glaxo Smith Kline, Haynes, Capital Radio and the BBC. It was during this period I designed and sculpted the Mercury Music Prize.
I have found a painting style I call Xtract Art, the starting point for this work is a photograph, this began as I had to walk for my health I stepped back at work to a local branch-based role that I could walk to. As I got better and to make me walk further, I took pictures the aim to photograph round things, you would be amazed by how many round items there are out in the street-scape of the town. Once home I would work with the photographs on the computer bringing out and enhancing the existing colours, cropping to create the best compositions, bringing out the best qualities of these photographs. Then having beauty competitions to choose the best ones to paint in acrylic on canvas. As I painted these images, they gained a title sometimes this was just a working title and the final painting called something else for example ‘On the High Street’ became High Street Blues as internet shopping was taking their trade away.
I completed my foundation degree at Bournemouth with very good education from my tutors with colour theory and composition once completed the foundation I was accepted by Wimbledon school of art to study sculpture. I studied sculpture, art history, photography and was able to get involved with foundry work and welding. I became involved with student union as president of the student union organising events in the college theatre, sitting with the governing body with responsibility for budgets. This was a great learning ground and my art school years gave me confidence that I could tackle most things.