'Pioneer' Sculpture

From an early age I was making things in grandfather’s shed at the end of his garden, I sometimes made objects that really didn’t do anything; I just liked the way different shapes connected. As I grew up, I couldn’t see being sculptor a viable career option. I knew that was who I was, but I didn’t know how to be it. Visiting different countries and experiencing other cultures had always been something I wanted to do, so when I left school I travelled around Europe then the US, Canada, New Zealand, and India. I worked along the way fruit picking, landscaping and general laboring. In Australia, I got a job at a steel works factory. The highly skilled, self-assured character of the men who worked there and the strong sense of camaraderie really appealed to me. I loved the heat and the clatter of the place. This was the first time I learnt how to form steel, I took this experience back to the UK and went to an art school that specialised in blacksmithing. This was followed by an apprenticeship, and then I opened my own forge in London, which gave me the time to develop my art practice alongside the commissioned work I was producing for clients at the time. Travel remains an important source for my work, and if I can’t get away, there are so many great museums in London. A new series usually starts this way. Recently, a visit to Iceland led to a series of sculptures inspired by the coastal communities and the fishing boats in the harbours around the country. Sculpture has its own language. Recently, I moved to a new studio. This had an effect on my work in a way I did not expect. The studio is much closer to home, and this has changed my working pattern. Now, I tend to work either in the day but also late into the evening, which has led to a more thoughtful process with reduced elements. My current series of sculptures are probably the most intimate work I have produced. Although based in the UK, my work often finds homes in collections around the world and has been particularly popular in the USA. Artistically, I have always been attracted to the hard-edge California paintings of the 60s and the work of steel sculptor David Smith. It is that type of industrial history within the methods of construction I find particularly appealing. Past commissions include the 2012 London Olympics; a US swimmer was awarded one of my sculptures, “Bryndis,” to celebrate him becoming the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.