Paige Bradley has been inspired to sculpt the human figure in bronze since childhood. Born in Carmel, California the artist found much inspiration in her own physical strength and the surrounding beauty of the Monterey Peninsula. Immersed in nature and art, Bradley's fascination with the human figure began early.
Educated at Pepperdine University, Bradley spent a year in Florence, Italy. During her travels in Europe, the Great Masters offered inspiration, but Michelangelo consumed her. Bradley drew from nearly all his sculptures, studied his drawings and reflected on his passions for the human figure.
Returning to the U.S., Bradley began a five-year apprenticeship with world famous sculptor, Richard MacDonald, which included working side by side with MacDonald on such projects as the grand monument for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and the monument commemorating the 100th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Bradley went on to continue her education at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; alma matter to Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, and Robert Henri. Within the first year, Bradley won the oldest and most important sculpture award in the school's history and was invited to be one in eighteen participants in the National Sculpture Society's "Young Sculptors Competition". Her work is permanently housed in the American Museum in Philadelphia.
Even though the figures are sculpted in the classical tradition, Bradley is anything but typical. The artist, uniting psychology and spirituality in her sculpture, explores refreshingly modern realms in her artwork. Although an emerging talent, critics say Paige Bradley's work shows the spirit, the passion, and the sensitivity that are elements of true greatness.
