Collection: Petrena Shaw

Petrena began her creative career as a jewellery and batik fabric designer before transitioning into sculpture, working across bronze, ciment fondu and mosaic. By the late 1990s, her bronze sculptures were being exhibited widely throughout Australia, the United States and Hawaii, including with the Sydney Sculptors Society.

Her sculptural practice has been shaped through extensive study in sculpture, foundry and mould-making techniques. While living in Sydney from 2002 to 2013, Petrena undertook five years of mentorship with one of Australia’s most respected master sculptors, Tom Bass, refining her classical approach with a strong focus on life studies and the human form. Alongside her sculptural work, she also achieved teaching qualifications in Ikebana under master teacher Mase’ Ako.

In 2013, Petrena and her husband John returned to the Byron Bay hinterland, where they established a rainforest studio. Here, Petrena continues to create bronze, mosaic and ciment fondu sculptures while developing new bodies of work. Deeply connected to the natural environment, she is also actively involved in bush regeneration, planting endangered species and establishing a koala habitat on their property.