As a monumental figurative sculptor with more than five decades of experience, I have built my life around understanding form, weight, balance, and the visual language of the human figure. My work ranges from hand-carved marble to stainless steel structures weighing thousands of pounds, yet the purpose is always the same: to make the impossible feel alive, effortless, and inevitable.
This 1983 photograph shows sculptor Jon Marc Hetherington guiding a large monumental mold created by Peter Forster out of a sand pit during the casting process. The image captures the scale and technical complexity of early foundry work, highlighting the collaboration involved in producing monumental sculpture.
I entered the world of sculpture in the early 1970s, beginning in foundries and learning every step of bronze casting by hand. Over the years, I’ve worked as a sculptor, foundryman, pattern maker, metal fabricator, and technical advisor. My background is unusual because I understand not only the artistic side of sculpture but the industrial, architectural, and engineering sides as well. That combination allows me to create large-scale works that actually stand, last, and behave the way the artwork demands.
Pathways to the Sky
A 12,000–pound stainless-steel sculpture created for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with Dr. Tim Brady. The challenge was simple and brutal: make a massive form feel weightless. The solution was a composition that uses air, tension, and directional force. The piece stands like it is suspended in mid-air, even though every pound is anchored with precision.
Azure Whispers
A large-scale mermaid sculpture composed to appear floating underwater. I engineered the kelp to act as invisible support so the figure rises naturally, as if buoyed by water itself. The effect is light, fluid, and believable — the core test of figurative sculpture.
My deepest passion is the human figure. I am returning more and more to direct carving, using hand tools to work marble the way sculptors have for thousands of years. There is no substitute for feeling the stone under your hands, listening to its grain, and shaping it with absolute intention. Good figurative sculpture isn’t guesswork; it’s discipline, geometry, proportion, rhythm, and eurythmy. It is also the courage to remove what does not belong. For me, the discipline of a monumental figurative sculptor is built on proportion, rhythm, and the courage to carve the truth out of stone.
Beyond carving and modeling, I bring a high level of technical skill:
3D modeling for sculpture (Fusion, Adobe 3D tools)
Clay modeling for both monumental and small-scale work
Mold making and pattern development
Stainless steel fabrication and structural problem-solving
Bronze foundry consulting, including facility upgrades
Engineering solutions for sculptures that must withstand time, gravity, and weather
American Metal Fabricators magazine has featured my work improving foundry operations and advising on modern bronze casting techniques.
I demonstrate my classical clay modeling techniques in several sculpture studies, including a life-size angel inspired by William Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell (“Bless Relaxes”), shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqfGw7rRs7o.
Over the years, I have sculpted Romano Salvatori, Christopher Wilkins, Stephen Musolino, Claire Eccles, and many others in bronze, stone, and paint. I approach portraits with the same philosophy: the truth of a person lies in proportion, rhythm, and expression — not in surface detail alone. A well-made portrait has presence.
One of my most consistent roles has been helping other artists solve problems. I’ve guided painters, sculptors, students, and professionals through their blocks, helping them see form clearly and finish the work they were born to make. Sometimes the fix is technical; sometimes it’s compositional; sometimes it’s psychological. Either way, I am good at unlocking what keeps people stuck.
I believe art still matters. Monumental figurative sculpture pushes against gravity, time, and the modern world’s indifference. It anchors memory. It holds stories. It outlives us. My goal — always — is to make work worthy of standing for a century or more. Sculpture endures because it speaks where words fail, and that continues to drive my work forward.
With more than five decades of experience, Peter Forster has devoted his life to understanding form, weight, balance, and the visual language of the human figure. His work spans hand-carved marble to multi-ton stainless steel structures, unified by a single aim: to make the impossible feel alive, effortless, and inevitable.
Pathways to the Sky
A 12,000–pound stainless-steel sculpture created for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with Dr. Tim Brady, where the challenge was simple and brutal: make a massive form feel weightless. The solution was a composition that uses air, tension, and directional force. The piece stands as if suspended in mid-air, even though every pound is anchored with precision. The work is featured by Embry-Riddle in their publication “Art for Art’s Sake,” which highlights the sculpture and its installation (https://lift.erau.edu/art-arts-sake/).
