Bentley Le Baron

I don’t really get blocks … I have the choice of starting something new or working on something that’s underway already.

 Bentley Le Baron didn’t start off as an artist or sculptor, in fact, he says he came to it quite late, having never taken any formal training. He creates wonderful art because he loves to do it, and is blessed with the drive to try different things.

I was pushing 30 when I first touched clay, in London, England. I was doing my doctorate in Politics and Philosophy, and moonlighting at Slade School of Fine Art. Hanging around there, I learned to sculpt with clay. While best known for his pottery and sculptures, Bentley has also been making his mark as a painter in recent years. Painting and drawing, I’ve done since I was a youngster. Maybe I would have tried to make a living as a visual artist, but probably didn’t have the enough confidence to think I could do it.

Having apprenticed under three different potters to learn different skills, Bentley has taken those skills and made them his own. His mythical creatures, large female goddesses and smaller sculptures represent his connection to the past, this place and his playfulness.

When asked why his ravens have such big feet, he replies with a grin, “they would fall over if I made them any smaller.” This is the mischievous spirit of Bentley Le Baron.