Special Art Effects was co-founded by Paul and Laura Carey in 1985. Now with decades of industry & Fine Artwork experience, Special Art Effects works and has worked with some of the world’s most creative institutes, contemporary artists, respected film directors and producers including, Madame Tussauds Studios, the Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, Sir Ridley Scott, and Lord David Puttnam. Throughout their freelance and commissioned project artwork, they have co-currently and individually produced their own Fine Artwork with focus on portraits and figurative sculptures for exhibitions, private commissions, both nationally and internationally.

Laura Carey FRSA, FDG

Laura Carey is a classically trained, figurative sculptor who graduated from City & Guilds of London, Art School. Whilst there she won the F.M. Allen Drawing Award together with a Mervyn Peake commission for Eltham College, in conjunction with a Fleetwood-Hesketh commission for the family. She also received 1st prize for best graduate awarded by Madame Tussaud’s Studios.

Laura was offered a freelance position at Madame Tussauds Studios as one of their portrait sculptors and went on to complete thirty prestigious portraits, such as Michael Caine, George Orwell and Willy Wonka (approved by Roald Dahl, later to be acquired by Michael Jackson and his estate). In 1985 Laura set up Special Art Effects with her husband Paul, branching out into making figurative portraits for Film, TV and Museums. 

Laura maintained her artistic education with a P.G.C.E. in Art & Design from Goldsmith’s University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Fine & Decorative Arts from Christies Education, and an M.A. in Museum Policy & Gallery Management from City University. She has taught art in both schools & universities along with other scholastic institutions.

Laura then went on to pursue her interest in dyslexia, receiving her Post-Graduate Diploma in 2003 award as a specialist teacher and assessor.  In February 2019 she was made a Fellow of the Dyslexia Guild.  It was awarded after demonstrating an outstanding level of commitment to advancing standards and best practice. Laura practised as a specialist teacher and assessor in colleges, schools and the independent sector for 20 years.

In 2009 Laura became a collaborative member of The London Group and regularly exhibits in group exhibitions. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2016. Currently along with continuing to make Fine Art sculptures, including privately commissioned portraits, she maintains and develops her drawing practice at the Royal Drawing School, London with the emphasis on portraiture.

Paul Carey FRSA

Paul began his artistic career as an apprentice sculptor at Madame Tussauds Studios who paid for his art school training at City & Guilds of London, Art School. Part of Paul’s apprenticeship also involved formal training in mould making, casting, hair insertion and colouring wax portraits. Paul took the opportunity to diversify his skillset whilst at Madame Tussauds Studios, developing elastomeric prosthetic masks for animatronic portraits and creatures for several of the Tussauds Group leisure attractions.

In 1985 Paul collaborating with his wife established Special Art Effects, and together they branched into the film industry and television. They created special figurative effects for films and commercials such as The Mission, 1984 and Full Metal Jacket, and much more. This continued into museum projects for the Wellcome Collection, the Natural History Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Museum of Mankind and the National Trust for Fountains Abbey amongst many others commercial and Fine Art realisations.

In 1998 Paul began lecturing at universities disseminating his skills, firstly working at London South Bank University, then lecturing at Wimbledon School of Art, UCA Rochester, UCL London College of Fashion amongst other educational institutions.

In 2000 Paul expanded his skillset by prototyping medical simulators. This involved material research for interactive medical simulators that had built-in haptic feedback, working with eminent consultants, surgeons and medical instrument makers specifically to develop urological training devices.  The research extended into intense anatomical studies to fully understand how to construct fine anatomical structures, the working principles of human anatomy, incorporating highly realistic aesthetics.

In 2009 Paul was made a collaborative member of the London Group with his wife Laura. In 2016 Paul was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Being a Fellow of the RSA means that both Paul & Laura have access to the brightest new ideas, innovative projects, a diverse network of like-minded people and a platform for social change.

Recently Paul has been collaborating with his wife on Fine Art works and has been regularly exhibiting in exhibitions in various galleries nationally and internationally. A selection of Fine Art sculptures was included the 2017 & 2019 Istanbul Biennales.  Additionally, a collection of the Carey’s sculptures was part of an exhibition that ran throughout the year of 2024 at the Arter Gallery Istanbul, Turkey.