WILDLIFE SCULPTOR

INTRODUCTION

Birds have been a passion of mine since early childhood and I’m constantly drawn back to them for inspiration. They are diverse in their evolutionary forms and characteristics, they embody the voluptuous curves of ducks and geese to the elegance of waders, that said there is far more, they conceal the secrets of flight. I am fascinated by their poses and pauses prior to an eruption of movement, the precious pre take off second. Capturing moments of impending momentum is a sculptural challenge of any age. I have always remained true to the idiosyncrasies of individual species, yet have become increasingly aware that simplification of a form can clarify.

Carving my early, highly detailed, wooden birds has given me a thorough understanding of anatomy, and enabled me to simplify a form without losing the essence of the species I’m sculpting, as can be observed in my later bronze sculptures

Sir Peter Scott gave me great encouragement with my original wooden sculptures and gave me direct access to the ground-breaking conservation projects pioneered by the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust at his home in Slimbridge Gloucestershire UK.

These truly heroic rescues inspired me to produce my Endangered Species Collection, commencing, as did Sir Peter, with the Hawaiian Goose.

Most sculptors work with clay over armatures.  Whatever the eventual medium, I prefer to sculpt my original forms starting with a solid block of wood.  

​All my bronze work is produced in numbered and authenticated editions of 12 by Pangolin Editions in Gloucestershire, probably the best fine art foundry in the world.  For my work Pangolin use the lost wax process which was first used over 5500 years ago.  The method remains largely unchanged and demands tremendous skill. 

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I use complex patinas to capture the essence of each species, their mood, motion and unique colouration.  Each sculpture is individually patinated and so there will be slight variations to each one.
Please enjoy browsing my gallery.