Plans for a life-size bronze of the late Dame Lois Brown Evans to grace Bermuda's new courthouse were greeted with surprise by local sculptors Carlos Dowling and Desmond Fountain — both of whom said they hadn't been contacted in connection with the project.

As Bermuda's first female barrister, female Attorney General and female Opposition Leader, Dame Lois is considered an iconic figure in politics and law. American sculptor Zenos Frudakis is now working on a sculpture of Dame Lois, dressed in a barrister's wig and gown, for the new court and police building on Court Street.

Government has not stated whether it commissioned the statue, and Mr Frudakis has been unavailable for clarification. Mr Frudakis contacted The Royal Gazette to get pictures of Dame Lois.

Mr Dowling, the creator of the Sally Bassett monument at the Cabinet House, said he hadn't heard of Mr Frudakis' statue until a picture of it appeared in The Royal Gazette earlier this week.

He said he approached Government a year ago offering a bronze of Dame Lois for the police and court building. The facility has not officially been named after her, however the general consensus after Dame Lois' death in 2007 was that it would be fitting to do so.

Mr Dowling said: "I had made it known to appropriate people in Government that I was making a statue of her, but I think the consensus was that I was too expensive, which is not a sentiment that I share. I would imagine a project such as this by a well-known sculptor overseas could cost in the region of $300,000, which is not what I would charge.

"In any case, I was turned down, so I did it anyway — a head and shoulders of Dame Lois Browne Evans, what is known as a bust."

The bust remains in Mr Dowling's studio, awaiting bronzing at his own expense. He said: "Bronzing is an expensive process, and since it's uncommissioned, it will take quite a considerable amount of money for me to finish before it can get a public audience."

Mr Dowling added his work in progress can be seen this week on CITV, on The Big Conversation hosted by Rolfe Commissiong.

Mr Fountain also said it was the first time he'd heard Government had commissioned a statue of Dame Lois. "You'd have thought, though, that they would have asked an artist on the Island. This is extraordinary news. It's nice that people are becoming more aware of sculpture. But it is curious that nobody local seems to have been approached."

Asked if he thought the choice had been determined by budgetary constraints, Mr Fountain said: "From what I hear, there are no budgetary concerns locally."

Plans for a statue of Dame Lois go back to September, 2007. Then-Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Wayne Perinchief mentioned it at the same time he suggested the police and court building be named after her.