Lindsay Sunley is something of a rarity – a British sculptress. She now lives and works in the Costa Blanca in Spain after having gone to study at the Miguel Hernandez University as an Erasmus student in 2006. The perfect conditions for study at the Fine Art Campus in Altea, led to a life-changing experience as she realised her passion and found a true affinity with stone sculptures.

Lindsay was originally involved in Education and social work, with qualifications in Practice Teaching, Social Work and Higher Education. Her journey to becoming a sculptress took many years of study, attending evening classes and residential courses in a range of art related subjects over a period of seven years and culminated in her enrolling on a part-time Fine Art degree course at Cleveland College of Art and Design. It was while at Cleveland that Lindsay found out about the Erasmus programme - the European exchange programme for higher education students that enables them to study or work abroad for part of their degree. Lindsay was immediately interested in taking part in the programme and determined to embrace the fantastic opportunity it offered.

Her decision to go to Altea was predominantly based on the extensive curriculum that the University offered, and also that they specialised in sculpture - her main area of interest.  In addition, the Fine Arts campus was beautifully positioned, adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by the dramatic Bernia Mountains.  The town of Altea also offered a fantastic learning opportunity for her, as it has 400 years of artistic history and is renowned for being a meeting place for artists and sculptors. With 1,500 art students enrolled at the campus she could not fail to meet similar minded people. The only difficulty anticipated was her limited understanding of the Spanish language but even this did not deter her enthusiasm. Four months before departure she enrolled on a basic Spanish course which enabled her to ‘get by’ in the first few weeks and most importantly gain accommodation within a matter of days.

“Within a very short period of time I felt at home both at the University and within the town.  I took part in the local fiestas, joined the social club for cinema evenings and even supported the Spanish football team throughout the World Cup. I loved every day of my Erasmus experience and felt extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to live and work with people who appreciated the arts. In addition, I broadened my mind to areas of the art world that I had not considered previously, such as performance art. It was a life-enhancing four months that I would thoroughly recommend to any potential student looking to broadening their lives, both educationally and culturally. I have gained self-confidence, both in my abilities as an artist and as a person. The learning opportunities have been immense, helping me to realise my potential and extend my ambitions.”

After finishing her education in the UK, Lindsay decided to return to Altea to continue her studies. She now lives and works here permanently and has gone from strength to strength, taking part in many exhibitions and solo shows.

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