Talented young artist mesmerises shoppers in Lytham with magical dragon sculpture

A talented young artist has made a life-sized dragon sculpture to mesmerise shoppers in Lytham.

Dragon mad Sienna Lou Duke, 11, from St Annes spent more than two weeks working on the sculpture made out of papier mache and cardboard.

It is now displayed in the shop window of Thompson and Hardwick Optometrists in Park Street, which belongs to her uncle and aunt, Drew and Louise Thompson.

Sienna said: “I thought it would be really cool to make a dragon for Chinese New Year.

“I like watching a YouTube channel where they make different things from cardboard. I’ve always liked building things like that, so it inspired me to try making my own.

“The hardest part was probably the face, because it had a lot of shape and details that I had to get right. I think the spine and the feet turned out the best. The skeleton made the dragon look strong, and the feet ended up looking really sharp and cool.”

Louise Thompson, owner of Morgan Podiatry, which also operates from the premises, said: “We’re so proud of Sienna. She works out everything herself and has a real eye for art and construction. Some of her previous models even have moving parts.”

The family are well known amongst their customer base for their artistic window displays, which they dream up and put together themselves. They theme the windows around seasons and local events, making many of the decorations themselves.

For last year’s 1940s weekend, Drew made spitfires and seagulls in German helmets on his 3D printer, with some of the staff painting them.

Louise said: “We always try our best to create something fun and interesting, while connecting with what’s happening around us. It’s not always easy to come up with new ideas, and some of them certainly work out better than others.

“It’s important that the shop window still looks like an opticians, as glasses are quite small and can easily get lost in the display. We do love doing it though, especially around Christmas and Halloween.”

Drew’s dad, Stephen Thompson, is also a talented maker. He has constructed intricate models of local landmarks, including a Lytham windmill with working sails, and a Blackpool Tower made of matchsticks complete with lights. He made both specifically for the shop window.

Drew said “I just asked my dad one day if he could make a working Blackpool Tower, as a bit of a joke really! He thought about it and came back with this amazing model.

“We’ve had it in the window on rotation for a couple of years now and people love it.”

The pair have also made a couple of chandeliers made from wire and old spectacles, one of which is permanently on display in the shop.

Meanwhile Sienna is already planning her next project: “I want to make another dragon for my dad’s garage. It’s going to look like the dragon is coming out of the clouds”

Although her current creation has given way to the spring displays at the shop, it will be carefully stored for future windows.