Dawn Rowland at home with her sculptures 6 THE ART OBSERVER July 2010 the Dawn of sculpture By Melissa Bell THE ARTIST,  Dawn Rowland, provided a rare treat by staging a wonderful exhibition of her magnificent sculptures and draw- ings which were thoughtfully and strategically placed through- out her fantastic house and gar- den, creating the most beautiful sculpture exhibition I have ever seen. Dawn Rowland FRBS (Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors) is one of the most established and leading sculptors in the northwest. Her work con- sists chiefly of stone carvings, some of which have been made into bronze sculptures. Bronze is an expensive medium but, as bronze sculptures are generally made in multiples (Dawn usually limits hers to editions of only 6), they are less pricey than the stone carvings which are unique pieces. Dawn’s house is large, light and airy and shows off works of art as well as any gallery. The exten- sive gardens with mature trees and shrubs gave an excellent backdrop to the outdoor sculp- tures. All too often sculpture is shown in the clinical setting of an art gallery, whereas here, in this wonderfully artistic home, these marvellous sculptures could be seen, in all their glory, in a domestic situation. The scale of Dawn Rowland’s sculpture varies from pieces that can be held in the palm of the hand to 3 tonnes that need a large area for exhibition. Dawn’s largest piece was commissioned by the financial guru, Nicola Horlick, and another large piece was purchased by Lord Archer. Her work is in various collec- tions all over the world and we are so fortunate to have her on our doorstep. However, anyone who regrets not seeing this recent exhibition can take advantage of the fact that there is also an exhibition of Dawn’s sculptures in the foyer of Bruntwood’s latest building at No.1 New York Street in Manchester’s city centre. Bruntwood’s wonderfully large reception area perfectly supplies the required amount of floor space to show off Dawn’s work. Passers by can see the artist’s work as they walk along Mosley Street (the glass sided building is at the junction of New York DAWN ROWLAND’S SCULPTURES ARE COLLECTED BY SOME OF THE MOST PROMINENT PEOPLE