Virginia King

Place: Kawakawa

Born: 1946

Biography:

Virginia King (born 1946) is a New Zealand sculptor. She sculpts in wood, metal and stone and is influenced by the natural environment and the forms of leaves, trees, shells, ferns and feathers. King's works can be seen in locations in New Zealand and Australia. She studied at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design in 1963 and the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland from 1964 to 1965. In her early career King worked in painting, print-making and sculpture, and as a fashion designer after attending the Chelsea Art School. From 1988 she concentrated on sculpture working in stone, metal and wood. The natural environment and its preservation is the motivation for her work. Her concern for the environment has led her to use demolition kauri to highlight the destruction of New Zealand's kauri forests.