Shiva King grew up in Littlehampton and spent many days walking the shoreline looking for shiny stones and odd objects washed ashore by the tide. At 17, she studied for a BTEC in General Art and Design at Northbrook College, Worthing. It was here that, as part of an art project on the sea, she first used her scalpel to whittled a gloriously, hideous figure, which she put into a bottle filled with sand. She has now been whittling for over 20 years. During that time, she obtained a Masters in Physics and a PhD in Physics and Astrophysics which spurred her on to taking her art to a new and exciting level.
To Shiva, not all pieces of driftwood contain a figure. In her hands, she feels the density, grain, and the softness of the wood. Sometimes she can see the figure in the wood straightaway, something hidden that comes alive in her hands.
Shiva also draws and paints. Whether it’s sculpture or 2D work, she feels somehow a primitive element of her soul manifests itself in the work, and naming the figures and paintings; gives them an identity, evoking the ancient practice of keeping a deity close by.
