I have always been driven and captivated by the natural world, especially birds, and a career in nature conservation for the RSPB, has dominated my life. This underlying passion is behind what I strive to portray through my sculpture, to illustrate the inspirational beauty of birds. To achieve this, I don’t represent my subjects as replicas but rather depict their character and jizz - their personality. I look to draw attention to aspects that we often don’t see even when we are looking, to capture the essence of the species, like the cheeky puffin with a potbelly or the mischievous magpie with its cocked tail.

I work with wood, which as a natural material provides warmth and life. I seek to explore its many forms and allow its qualities to contribute to the portrayal, to let the wood speak for itself, to provide expression. All the wood I use is sustainably sourced, typically off-cuts, reused, or recycled, using natural finishes and simple techniques such as waxing, scorching, and buffing to raise the grain and create texture. Simplicity is important, and I frequently work through a process of assembly, to build a piece that is then seen by the viewer, interpreted, and brought to life. 

Born in 1967, Sally Mills was raised in rural North Wales, where she was inspired by her bucolic surroundings leading to a fascination with the natural world. A healthy obsession with wildlife dominated her life and has continued to do so to this day. 

She studied art at Cardiff University. Using the medium of sculpture to capture and portray the life of birds, she graduated with a first-class honours degree. This was followed by a distinction in a post graduate diploma in conservation management. Fulfilling her childhood passion throughout her working life, she spent 25 years in nature conservation working principally for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Within this time her commitment to wildlife was rewarded when the opportunity of a lifetime to manage a tropical island nature reserve in the Seychelles presented itself. This unique experience was to become a significant landmark in the latter years of her life encompassing career. Which on her return to the UK, concluded with a secondment to the government to pioneer new bioenergy initiatives powered by nature reserve vegetation. This served to fuel and satisfy her increasing passion for the utilisation of renewable resources.  

Now the natural world is a hobby, alongside a small horticultural business in Somerset, which Sally runs. This new aquaponic enterprise was born and is driven with an ethos of health and sustainability. With life bookended by a rural lifestyle, Sally enjoys the simple pleasure of supplying fresh vegetables to the local community and raising chickens. Semi-retired, she reaps the rewards of a committed and dedicated career, giving her time to reflect on her eclectic and privileged life. She is now in the perfect environment, with both the desire and opportunity to share many of her unique wildlife experiences as an inspiration to write, illustrate and sculpt.