Donna Sophronia Sims

Donna Sophronia-Sims was born in Mobile, Alabama. After graduating from University of Alabama with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Social Work, she moved to Birmingham Alabama. In the late eighties she studied graphic design and photography at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and for 17 years enjoyed a career as a graphic designer. Seven years ago she took a metal fabricating class at Sloss Furnaces and starting creating three-dimensional figurative sculptures out of found metal objects such as farm implements, car parts, and industrial scrap. Discovering the essence of the most common objects is an exciting revelation as she looks at found objects from a new and totally unexpected point of view—different from their intended use—and in a way no one had thought to do before.           

Donna’s sculptures are imaginary characters that take on human, animal, and other often unusual forms. Their disproportionate and exaggerated features are inspired by ancient figurative sculptures and masks from Africa and New Guinea. Gestural movement and facial expression give her pieces amusing personalities that create illusions of life. Donna experiments with various creations until she sees what she likes, working to conceptualize the entire figure. She then welds all of the pieces together. The various components of a sculpture work together to create balance, rhythm, and harmony. Nothing should ever appear forced. The results of Donna’s work can be measured intuitively rather than objectively.

205-913-0170
sophroniadonna@yahoo.com