Two unexpected show windows in one of the lesser-known byways of Pietrasanta’s historic center. Though the streets lined with restaurants and shops are only a step away, here, between Via dei Piastroni and Via del Teatro, the air is still that of the old city of art, of its workshops. It is here that Canadian-born Wendy Ramsay decided to revive an ancient sculpture studio for her own use and to show her works at the gallery next door. After pursuing a successful career as a graphic designer for many years, Ramsay returned to her first love: fine art. “I began sculpting in bronze in Canada,” she explains. “When I moved to France, however, I was unable to find a good foundry. Then, entirely by chance, I heard about Pietrasanta – and here I am!” Courteous and elegant, Ramsay welcomes visitors in person (but only by appointment: call 348 0462663). The majority of her works explore the human form. For instance, her torsos: male and female, classical, but sculpted of pocked, irregular material, as much empty space as filled. In other, more abstract bronzes, she proposes reclining female forms and small animals such as owls; her surfaces become smooth, polished, with patinas that make them seem to be sculpted in stone.

Ramsay models her sculptures in clay, applying the manual skills she perfected years ago when she crafted vases and jewels in porcelain. She entrusts translation into bronze to the Fonderia Del Chiaro artisans, although she follows every step in the process.

As her ideal masters, Ramsay cites Henry Moore, Hans Arp, and Eduardo Chillida. “As a child, I was the best in my school in geometry,” she says with a smile. “And now, in my sculpture, it often happens that when I’ve finished sculpting a work I’ll discover that, for example, its width is exactly half its height!” A natural instinct for proportion, a gift that imparts to all she does a harmony that is perceptible even at a passing glance.

Ramsay Sculpture
via dei Piastroni 42, Pietrasanta | +39 348 0462663
www.ramsaysculpture.com | sculpture@ramsaysculpture.com