Mark Stoddart

The Artist

The present work has generously been donated by the Artist with the sale proceeds helping fund the second phase of development for the Dyslexia Foundation’s Eco-friendly, Dyslexic and Neurodiverse Art School in Bali and the Rare Gem Talent School in Kenya. As an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland, Bali Dyslexia Foundation and Kenya Dyslexia Organization, Stoddart is a champion of providing educational support for children with such neurological conditions. Both the school in Bali and Kenya have been personally initiated and funded by Stoddart. The schools are the first of their kind and encompass all aspects of education and life skills to help dyslexic students thrive and fulfil their potential.

Best known for his bronze hippo tables, the present work is the first complete silver sculpture Stoddart has created. The subject of the sculpture is a Limousin Bull. Originally a French breed, the first Limousin bull was brought to the UK via Leigh Docks in Edinburgh around fifty years ago which also marked the beginning of the British Limousin Cattle Society. With the help of the Society, Mark was able to photograph some of their member's bulls to enable him to begin the process of designing the sculpture. He also worked with Powderhall Bronze, and Hamilton and Inches who are both Edinburgh based companies, to design and create the bull, using traditional methods of sculpting in clay, creating wax moulds, then finally casting in silver, a process that has taken over a year. This is Stoddart’s first sculpture in silver and the first piece to bear his own maker’s mark.