Whirlwind Sculpture

Adrian Flanagan was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1960. He studied pre-clinical medicine at King's College, London before completing a degree in Osteopathic Medicine where his particular interest in anatomy and biomechanics developed. After a period in practice, Adrian started his own business in grocery distribution. It was in 2005 that he eventually realised a childhood ambition of sailing single-handed around the world setting off from the south coast of England on 28 October that year. His route took him south down the Atlantic, around Cape Horn, north up the Pacific Ocean, through the Bering Strait and along Russia's Arctic coast. He returned to England on 21 May 2008 to complete the first 'vertical' solo circumnavigation. Adrian has also authored a number of books, both fiction and non-fiction. Adrian came to sculpture relatively late and is completely self-taught. 'I have always had a fascination with sculptural form and particularly in bronze as a medium. It was after sailing around the world, being immersed in the unbridled power of nature that I sensed a shift in my life's priorities and decided to educate myself in sculptural art.' As with writing characters where the writer must allow the character to develop, behave and respond in unexpected ways, so to with sculpture. 'While I have an idea of what I want to create with each piece at the outset, I wait for that moment when the sculpture begins to live, shaping pose, movement, expression and spirit of it's own accord. My job is to translate those desires to capture the essence of the subject, to let it tell its own story.' Please visit my website at www.adrianflanagansculpture.com