ACCLAIMED sculptor Sebastien Boyesen has been commissioned to create a figurative sculpture of Sarah Jane Rees, known by her bardic name of Cranogwen, in her home village of Llangrannog.

Announcing the move, the Llangrannog Welfare Committee said the statue would be the third commissioned by the Monumental Welsh Women statue campaign, of a ‘real Welsh woman’.

Born in the parish in 1839, Cranogwen was a mariner, teacher, poet, journalist, preacher and campaigner.

Llangrannog-based Mr Boyesen, who provided the community with their beloved St Carannog sculpture, has a vast portfolio of designing and implementing figurative public artwork across the UK.

His past work includes Guardian, a remarkable 20-metre sculpture commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 mining disaster in Six Bells that claimed the lives of 45 men which towers over the site of the former colliery.

A site for the long-anticipated Cranogwen sculpture has been earmarked in the centre of Llangrannog near the church where Sarah Jane Rees is buried.

“The sculpture will commemorate Cranogwen’s extraordinary life and her many and varied achievements,” said a spokesperson.

MWW have teamed up with Lisa Evans, Programme Director of the degree honours programme in Sculpture at Carmarthen School of Art, Coleg Sir Gâr, to award a paid menteeship for one year to an emerging post-graduate female sculptor from Coleg Sir Gâr to work with Mr Boyesen on the commission.

The menteeship - designed to provide support for such a sculptor - has been awarded to Keziah Ferguson, a recent Coleg Sir Gâr graduate.

“I feel incredibly privileged to be involved in the project, to honour the legacy of Cranogwen,” she said.

“The warm reception I received in Llangrannog has made me doubly excited to start work with Seb and the team.”

Helen Molyneux, from Monumental Welsh Women, said: “Cranogwen was an inspirational woman whose reputation and influence spread not just across Wales but internationally, at a time when many women rarely left villages they were born in.”

Mr Boyesen said: “Being commissioned to create the statue of Cranogwen is both an honour and privilege and is something I would consider to be a highlight of my career.”