This weekend I spent a delightful weekend with my dear friend Amanda in Lambourn and there were many surprises in store! The little town is full of charm from lace in old windows, The Universal Stores - the shop selling everything, to the home of talented sculptor Sioban Coppinger. A man sits on the wall outside her studio. I was intrigued to see him proudly staring out and I was keen to find who he was and why he was there. I knocked on the door to the big house and was greeted by the friendly Sioban who kindly invited me inside to tell me more. She has been prolific producing art in a number of mediums over thirty years but she has made a huge impact in the field of public sculpture. She showed me an exquisite piece which was bird. The wings were formed using the casts of people's hands. These hands were to find flight and rest on the wall of a hospice. The hands were of those finding comfort and peace in the hospice. What a beautiful way to create a sculpture. But what of the man on the building outside? Sioban explained that this was The Birmingham Man, a sculpture created as a memorial to Thomas Attwood, Birmingham's first M.P and reformer. His great grand-daughter commissioned the sculpture in his memory. Now he looks out over Oxford Street in Lambourn. I can't wait to visit again.
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