Sculptor Coral Penelope Lambert had her work on display at Artworks during the month of June and offered a unique look at art including what drives her creative process.
She was sponsored by Art Shape Mammoth, nonprofit bringing artists to various venues.
Looking back on her childhood, she explored the nature of things — mud, trees and gardens near her London home. A bundle of energy, her parents encouraged her artistic ability just to keep her busy.
Lambert went on to college and received both a bachelor of fine art and a master of fine art. During the course of her education, it became clear that she was attracted to the use of metals — iron, copper, bronze, gold and stainless steel. It wasn’t just casting that held her interest, but the flow of molten metal.
In 1996, Lambert moved to the United States, seeing that there was not a lot of opportunity in the United Kingdom for large sculptures. She needed room, and the farmland around Alfred, N.Y., had what she wanted.
She is head of sculpture at the Alfred School of Art and Design where she shows her students how to use half a dozen furnaces. Each one has its own application.
Her work has been purchased and shown in a number of public places. The list is long and her work is truly international with pieces at Kidwelly Castle (Wales), Pirkkala (Finland), Salem Castle (Germany), Huian (China), Ironbirdge (United Kingdom) as well as locations in the United States.
One of the many process used by Lambert is to start with a resin-infused sand core, then add hot wax to define its final shape. Casting is done using the traditional lost wax method where the mold is heated causing the wax to evaporate and flow out leaving a cavity for the molten metal.
Her largest work of art is located in the Baltic country of Latvia. It is a furnace in the shape of a volcano measuring 14 feet high and 30 feet in diameter. After a month of preparation, it “erupted” for one day pouring out molten iron from three separate taps into granite molds. Since its eruption, it has sat dormant in the Pedvale Open Air Art Museum, which focuses on environmental art.
In Finland, Lambert constructed a steel piece 12 feet high in the shape of a local lake. Mining in the area had changed the shape of this body of water over the years. She wonders if the lake is still the same shape as reflected in her sculpture.
When pressed about what her work is really about, Lambert says that she loves molten metal. Its color and smell all go together to excite her.
To cast a large piece, it is a group effort. Her helpers, dressed in leather and standing by the glow of a furnace, give her the feeling of some ancient process. To Lambert, it is more about the process than the work of art.
Much of her work has representations of chakras, energy points within the body. She also creates coils that represent pent up energy.
Lambert will participate in nine shows this year. More of her work can be seen at www.corallambertsculptor.com.