1. Sir Alex Stone 

John McKenna was born in Manchester and at a young age moved to Worcestershire where he attended the Royal Grammar School, Worcester. He studied at the Victoria Institute, Worcester and was awarded a Diploma in Art & Design with merit and distinction. After a further period of study at Middlesex Art College in London he was awarded a three year bursary to study at the prestigious Sir Henry Doulton School of Sculpture when it was under the patronage of Dame Elizabeth Frink. From 1990 to 1993 John lectured at Stafford Further Education college and was instrumental in setting up the first HND in Figurative sculpture there, whilst also teaching Three Dimensional design at Worcester College of Technology. From 1993 onwards he gave up lecturing to become a full time professional public art sculptor and has been working primarily on public art schemes internationally ever since.

He was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1993.

In 2002 John relocated his studio to a smallholding farm on the South West Coast of Scotland, near Turnberry and set up a steel sculpture fabrication workshop and a sculpture bronze casting studio facility to continue his large scale public artworks.


Artist’s statement 

“I work in a variety of scales, colossal, heroic, domestic, on public and private commissions, producing my own designs or rising readily to the challenge of a client’s design brief. My smaller works using the human form seek to achieve balance, sensitivity and quietude for the observer to contemplate, aiming to pacify the senses in an increasingly demanding social environment. Originally I was trained in a strict traditional academic figurative discipline under the auspices of Dame Elizabeth Frink and always prefer to create sculpture modelled with observed naturalism and empathy with the subject, whilst imbuing dynamic creativity.

I have extensive working experience and practical design sense to undertake large-scale public art projects drawing on nearly twenty years of sculpture experience. I work with a variety of media, including large cast bronzes and stainless steel structures, aluminium, glazed brick architectural reliefs, metalwork fabrication, stone and cast stone. This cumulative mass of experience and genuine creativity has enabled me over the years to resolve many artworks leaving as many delighted collectors, clients and the public to enjoy my work for generations to come.”

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Contact Details: John McKenna

Studio Location: High McGowanston Farm,
                        Turnberry, Girvan,
                        Ayrshire KA26 9JT

Telephone         01655 332215
Studio mobile    07762 100326

Images reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.