Shona Lyon
Shona Lyon specialises in figurative and portrait sculpture. Bronze is her primary medium, though she is also adept in various other media. Lyon’s sculptures are based on the principles of sacred geometry and classical sculptural techniques.
For Lyon, fine art was a calling later in life, following a successful career in business she had a yearning for change and to explore her creative side. Sculpture was her medium of choice which she embraced fully.
She set out to find a mentor, to learn the craft of classical sculpture. This mentor came in the form of international sculptor, Martine Vaugel, (a Master Sculptor and two-time Rodin award winner) based in Loire Valley, France. She entered the private tutelage under Martine, this guiding foundational practice was key to developing her own style and processes.
See an insightful interview by TVNZ about the career change and Shona's "Leap of Faith" by clicking on this image below:
At the age of 44 Shona Lyon decided she needed a change. Source: Seven Sharp
Lyon now works as a full-time sculptor, producing a range of work from small collectible sculptures through to large scale public and private commissions.
Shona’s most recent large-scale commission was a double Lifesize bust of Sir John Logan Campbell. This 3m high Sculpture was created to honour Sir John’s amazing gift of 230 Acres of One tree Hill (Cornwall Park) to the People of New Zealand in 1901. Today the park is visited by over 1 million people a year. This was unveiled in November 2020 and now stand proudly forever in our cherished Cornwall Park in Auckland.
Lyon's work traverses a range of subject matter- from sensuous human forms concerned with proportion and poise; to dramatic mythological subjects imbued with dualistic narratives of light and dark; to whimsical animal works that capture their unique character and disposition. Across all, Lyon masterfully manipulates her materials to achieve figurative and portrait sculpture that presents a careful balance of mood, tension and grace.
Shona Lyon
Current Sculptures
Seesaw
The Nostalgia collection is inspired by my own childhood memories of love and play. We called it ‘romps’ and it would always result in one of these cherished, happy forms of connection. They make me smile. When I remember I feel warm, I feel loved , I feel happy….I belong.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 15
Size: 230mm by 90mm wide and 320 mm high
Price: $2,900
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Leap Frog
The Nostalgia collection is inspired by my own childhood memories of love and play. We called it ‘romps’ and it would always result in one of these cherished, happy forms of connection. They make me smile. When I remember I feel warm, I feel loved , I feel happy….I belong.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 15
Size: 170 mm by 100mm wide by 210 mm high
Price: $2,895
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Shona Lyon
Current Sculptures
Top of the World
The Nostalgia collection is inspired by my own childhood memories of love and play. We called it ‘romps’ and it would always result in one of these cherished, happy forms of connection. They make me smile. When I remember I feel warm, I feel loved , I feel happy….I belong.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 15
Size: 90 mm by 160mm wide by 380 mm high
Price: $3,195
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Shona Lyon
Current Sculptures
Up-and-Over
The Nostalgia collection is inspired by my own childhood memories of love and play. We called it ‘romps’ and it would always result in one of these cherished, happy forms of connection. They make me smile. When I remember I feel warm, I feel loved , I feel happy….I belong.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 15
Weight: 5.9kg (approx)
Dimensions: 200 X 270 X 160 mm
Price: $3,195
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Eternal Love
There is nothing more beautiful than love, and nothing so powerful. The surface finish on this sculpture is textured, as are our lives. When we fall in love it is in spite of and often because of our flaws. It is the unique character of each of us that weaves the beauty of love into our lives.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 9
Size: 260 mm by 350 mm wide by 250 mm high
Price: $8900
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Life's Dance
This sculpture is about the consistent dance of opposites and dualities in our world. The horse represents one being, the male and female torso symbolise the opposing forces in our life, both internal and external. It is this dance of contradiction that brings passion to our lives.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 3
Size: 460mm by 330mm wide and 400 mm high
Price: $14,900
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Shona Lyon
Current Sculptures
Joy
The Nostalgia collection is inspired by my own childhood memories of love and play. We called it ‘romps’ and it would always result in one of these cherished, happy forms of connection. They make me smile. When I remember I feel warm, I feel loved , I feel happy….I belong.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 15
Size: 130 mm by 160mm wide by 270 mm high
Price: $3,195
Status: Contact Ngaire for available edition numbers
Shona Lyon
Current Sculptures
Forgive them - They know not what they do
The woman represents mankind who is asking the Lion, the king of the Beasts, for forgiveness for the cruelty that human race has inflicted upon the creatures in the animal Kingdom. This sculpture honours the amazing capacity of animals to continue to love and forgive human beings despite our continual disregard for their lives. A donation of $1000 will be made to protect lions in the wild from the proceeds of the sale of this sculpture.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 9
Size: 250 mm by 260mm wide by 350 mm high
Price: $8,900
Status: Available
Chained by Belief
This Sculpture is about freedom. Although at first glance, he appears a prisoner shackled to a pillar(past). The reality is the link in the chain is broken and rusty. His closed eyes symbolises mans unconscious enslavement to his past. He is so accustomed to being in a set of circumstances or beliefs that he still acts as if he is confined and defined by them (chained). This work reminds me, that unless I consciously choose to re-evaluate my beliefs about myself and my paradigms, i will continue to be restrained by my past rather than live free in the present.
Medium: Bronze Limited Edition of 3
Size: 270 mm by 360 mm wide by 840 mm high
Price: $8900
Availability: On Application
Sir John
Cornwall Park, one of Auckland’s most treasured locations, has gained a double life-sized bronze bust of Sir John Logan Campbell, the philanthropic businessman who gifted the land to the people of New Zealand over 100 years ago.
Standing at 3 meters tall, the intricately detailed bronze sculpture of Sir John Logan Campbell took portrait and figurative sculptor Shona Lyon four months to bring to life. With a limited number of grainy photos from the late 1800’s to work from, the biggest challenge for Lyon was transforming Sir John from an old one-dimensional photograph to a 360-degree sculpture.
For Lyon, having the chance to bring one of her most admired people to life has been an incredibly humbling experience. “I’m very grateful. This is a way for us to give back to Sir John in thanks for his donation of Cornwall Park to the people of New Zealand – a place that has given us so much.”