Beyond her well-known public commissions of Viola Desmond (2021) and Wanda Robson (2024), Chippie Kennedy’s body of work focuses on classical realist figurative sculptures and portrait busts, often emphasizing the natural beauty, anatomy, and expressiveness of the human form. She frequently works from life models, preferring unique and characterful features over idealized perfection. Her pieces are typically cast in bronze, with some in plaster or resin, and many explore reclining nudes, torsos, and dynamic poses.
Key themes and examples include:
- Reclining Figures and Nudes:
- A three-quarters life-size plaster reclining female figure (notable for being stolen from her Lunenburg studio window display in 2022, along with a bronze hare; the plaster was irreplaceable as no mold existed).
- Daphne (sleeping nude, exhibited in the National Sculpture Society’s Sculpture for a New Century show).
- Mythological and Allegorical Works:
- Gaea (earth goddess figure; received an Award of Merit in the 52nd Founders Juried Awards Exhibition, Naples Art Association, 2017).
A Place for Me: Figurative Painting Now – ICA Boston
- Dynamic and Aerial Figures:
- Cirque Un, Deux, Trois (winged aerialists in mid-flight; featured in the National Sculpture Society’s online exhibition The Pandemic: A Sculptor’s View, symbolizing escape and human elegance).
Chippie Kennedy NSS SCA (@chippie_kennedy) • Instagram photos and …
- Animal Sculptures:
- Bronze hare (stolen in 2022; valued at approximately $25,000 and en route to a gallery).
- Portrait Busts and Private Commissions:
- Numerous private and posthumous portrait busts (often of children, family members, or unique individuals; she particularly enjoys capturing expressive faces and has completed life-size and smaller works).
Joseph Bowler | The Tree Cutters – Children Playing on a Fallen …
Her works have been finalists in the International ARC Salon (multiple years), won Best Portrait from the Canadian Portrait Society (2017), and appeared in exhibitions like Spectrum Miami and Salmagundi Club shows. Many pieces are in private collections worldwide. For a full portfolio, her studio in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is viewable by appointment, and she shares updates via Instagram (@chippie_kennedy).