Neil Dawson is a prominent New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 sculptor. His best known works are large-scale civic pieces crafted from aluminium and stainless steel, often made using a lattice of natural forms which between them form a geometric whole. Dawson's best-known pieces include The Chalice, a large inverted cone in Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Cathedral Square, locally known simply as the Square, is the geographical centre and heart of Christchurch, New Zealand, where the city's Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located...

, and Ferns, a sphere created from metal fern leaves which hangs above Wellington's Civic Square

Civic Square, Wellington

Civic Square is an open public area at the centre of Wellington, New Zealand. It marks the boundary between the financial district to the north and the entertainment district to the south.- Textures and materials :...

. Major overseas commissions include Globe, for the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Canopy, for Brisbane's Queensland Art Gallery

Queensland Art Gallery

The Queensland Art Gallery is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre, and is located nearest to Brisbane River at South Bank...

.

Dawson's smaller works often use illusion and such optical patterns as moiré to achieve their effects. Many of these works are wall-hangings, though stand-alone pieces using such everyday patterned items as the forms of playing cards and willow pattern

Willow pattern

The Willow pattern, more commonly known as Blue Willow, is a distinctive and elaborate pattern used on ceramic kitchen/housewares. The pattern was designed by Thomas Minton around 1790 and has been in use for over 200 years. Other references give alternative origins, such as Thomas Turner of...

crockery are also among Dawson's works.

Dawson was born in Christchurch , and gained a Diploma of Fine Arts (Hons) at Canterbury University 1970, where he studied under Tom Taylor and Eric Doudney. This was followed by a Graduate Diploma in Sculpture from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, in 1973. Dawson taught drawing and design at Christchurch Polytechnic from 1975 to 1983, but has worked as a full-time sculptor since the late 1980s. Dawson was awarded an Arts Laureate by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2003.