Sophie Coryndon

Multimedia sculptor

©Sophie Coryndon

Curious by nature, skilled by practice

Sophie makes elaborate decorative art
She masters many specialist techniques
Her inspiration is sparked by the intricacies of nature

Sophie Coryndon grew up learning how to carve and draw from her father (Nick, a celebrated cabinetmaker) and her grandfather. Thanks to her natural curiosity, she can boast an exceptional array of specialist skills: painting, gilding, sculpting, etching, marquetry, lost wax casting, Japanese lacquering and more. Sophie pours all this knowledge into her contemporary artistic research. What she does is “not purely craft, purely design or purely fine art,” she says. Deeply captivated by the natural realm and enchanted by historical ornaments, Sophie has always been fascinated by the artistic potential of surfaces. In her East Sussex barn she crafts individual pieces, wall hangings (for which she became well-known), diptychs, triptychs, bespoke installations and large-scale projects.

Interview

©Sophie Coryndon

©Sophie Coryndon

What is your training background?: After a Fine Art degree at Cardiff University, I followed an apprenticeship at my father and master cabinetmaker Nick Coryndon’s cabinetmaking workshop in finishing and restoration. From him I learned many secrets of traditional craftsmanship and decorative techniques.
Where do you find inspiration?: From many different sources in the most varied of fields, such as Renaissance paintings, medieval herbals, illuminated manuscripts, craft techniques, haute couture, poetry and fairytales, and of course in the awe-inspiring details of the natural world.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your pieces?: My work is built on discovering historical techniques and adapting them, using contemporary materials or new methods of application. Gilding is in all my work. The joy for me is in finding a way to express an idea using a melting pot of historical and contemporary resources.
How would you define your work?: I make large-scale wall reliefs, using reimagined historical craft techniques and an eye for the darkly beautiful. I love finding a way to bring an idea to life, and the gloriously slow, meditative pace of crafting a piece.

Sophie Coryndon is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1998 and she started teaching in 2020